The WHO-commissioned systematic reviews on health effects of radiofrequency radiation provide no assurance of safety

Authors: Melnick RL, Moskowitz JM, Héroux P, Mallery-Blythe E, McCredden JE, Herbert M, Hardell L, Phillips A, Belpoggi F, Frank JW, Scarato T, Kelley E, on behalf of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF)

Year: 2025

Category: Epidemiology/Public Health

Journal: Environmental Health

Institution: International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF)

DOI: 10.1186/s12940-025-01220-4

URL: https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01220-4

Abstract

Overview

The World Health Organization (WHO) commissioned 12 systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analyses (MA) evaluating the health effects from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). The selected health outcomes were cancer, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, cognitive impairment, birth outcomes, male fertility, oxidative stress, and heat-related effects, which were informed by a WHO-conducted international survey.

Findings

  • The SR of cancer studies in laboratory animals did not include a meta-analysis due to methodological heterogeneity, such as differences in exposure characteristics, experimental parameters, and biological models.
  • The meta-analyses in other SRs were hampered by:
    • Relatively few primary studies for each MA (often due to subgrouping),
    • Exclusion of relevant studies,
    • Methodological weaknesses in many included studies,
    • Lack of suitable frameworks for complex processes (e.g., cognition),
    • High between-study heterogeneity.
  • Due to serious methodological flaws, the WHO reviews cannot provide assurance of the safety of cell phones and other wireless devices.
  • The animal cancer SR found:
    • High certainty of evidence for heart schwannomas,
    • Moderate certainty for brain gliomas,
    • Quantitative data that could inform cancer-risk based exposure limits.
  • Adverse, dose-related effects in male fertility and reproductive outcomes suggest the need for stricter policy measures to reduce exposure and reproductive risks.
  • Harmful effects (such as cancer and reproductive toxicity) identified at exposure levels below current ICNIRP thresholds indicate that current safety limits lack credible scientific support.

Conclusion

The WHO-commissioned SRs and MAs on RF-EMF health effects are insufficient to justify current exposure standards, especially regarding cancer and reproductive risks. Policy decisions to lower exposure limits are warranted, as evidence of harm has been demonstrated at currently "safe" exposure levels.

radiofrequency radiation electromagnetic fields systematic reviews cancer risk reproductive toxicity WHO exposure limits
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