New studies published by the National Toxicoloy Program and Environmental Research provide clear evidence radio-frequency radiation emitted by cell phones can cause cancer.
In early November the National Toxicoloy Program released data concluding there is clear evidence radio-frequency radiation (RFR) can cause brain and heart tumors and male lab rats. The $30 million study took more than ten years to complete as researchers examined the effects of prolonged exposure to high levels of RFR, the type of radiation emitted via 2G and 3G cellular networks.
“There was also some evidence of tumors in the brain and adrenal gland of exposed male rats,” the researchers write. “For female rats, and male and female mice, the evidence was equivocal as to whether cancers observed were associated with exposure to RFR.”
However, the scientists are cautioning against applying the results to the human population due to the exposure levels and duration being far higher than the average use of cell phones. The rats and mice used in the study were exposed to radiation for two years of their lives for up to nine hours a day.
“The exposures used in the studies cannot be compared directly to the exposure that humans experience when using a cell phone,” said John Bucher, Ph.D., NTP senior scientist. “In our studies, rats and mice received radio frequency radiation across their whole bodies.” The researchers also note that, “The lowest exposure level used in the studies was equal to the maximum local tissue exposure currently allowed for cell phone users.”
Still, the National Toxicology Program study is by far the most comprehensive assessment on the current research on RFR released by cell phones and towers and should not be dismissed. The final report notes that it represents the consensus of NTP and a panel of external scientific experts. The NTP seems to suggest the only way to avoid the health concerns is to avoid using a cell phone. In a health advisory, the NTP recommends those concerned about the potential health risks from RFR should, “Use speaker mode or a headset to place more distance between your head and the cell phone,” or “reduce the amount of time spent using your cell phone.”
Jeffrey Shuren, M.D., Director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, released a statement detailing why the FDA does not agree with the NTP study. “After reviewing the study, we disagree, however, with the conclusions of their final report regarding “clear evidence” of carcinogenic activity in rodents exposed to radiofrequency energy,” Shuren stated.
Shuren and the FDA were countered with a statement from Ronald Melnick PhD, the former senior toxicologist and director of special programs in the Environmental Toxicology Program who designed the exposure systems used in the study. “Simply claiming that conclusions about human risk cannot be drawn from animal studies runs counter to standard practices of evaluating human cancer risks by public health agencies including the U.S. EPA, NTP, IARC and even the FDA,” Melnick wrote in an opinion piece published by The Hill.“Every chemical known to cause cancer in humans is also carcinogenic in animals when adequately tested.”
Melnick notes that, “Dr. Shuren neglects to note that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a part of the World Health Organization, classified radio-frequency radiation from wireless devices as a “possible human carcinogen” based largely on findings of increased risks of gliomas and Schwann cell tumors in the brain near the ear in humans after long term use of cellphones.”
Cell Phones Are Carcinogenic to Humans
In fact, the 2011 designation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has now been confirmed with new research published in the journal Environmental Research. Researchers have released a new study, “Cancer epidemiology update, following the 2011 IARC evaluation of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields“, which found an increased risk of brain, vestibular nerve and salivary gland tumors associated with cell phone use.
The researchers examined Epidemiology studies published since the IARC 2011 categorization of RFR as possibly carcinogenic to humans. The team found that nine studies between 2011 and 2017 report increased risk of brain cancer from cell phone use, while four case-control studies report increased risk of vestibular nerve tumors. The study also found a concern for increase in cancers of the breasts, testes, leukemia, and thyroid gland.
“Based on the evidence reviewed it is our opinion that IARC’s current categorization of RFR as a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B) should be upgraded to Carcinogenic to Humans (Group 1),” the researchers write a mind-blowing admission. “When considered with recent animal experimental evidence, the recent epidemiological studies strengthen and support the conclusion that RFR should be categorized as carcinogenic to humans.”
How Do The Studies Relate to 5G Technology?
Although the NTP study and the Environmental Research study focus on cell phones – particularly the 2G and 3G networks – it’s natural to wonder what this means in relation to the current roll out of 5G technology taking place around the world. The researchers promise that “the exposure levels and durations in our studies were greater than what people experience”, and “people are mostly exposed in specific local tissues close to where they hold the phone”, but what happens when 5G rolls out and we are surrounded by RFR in the form of thousands of interconnected devices as part of the Internet of Things?
Perhaps the words of Dr. Ronald Melnick. the original designer of the NTP study, should be taken into consideration:
“5G is an emerging technology that hasn’t really been defined yet. From what we currently understand, it likely differs dramatically from what we studied,” “Consequently, I believe that new wireless technologies, including 5G, should be adequately tested before their implementation leads to unacceptable levels of human exposures and increased health risks.”
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