New Delhi: A comprehensive study by the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the New Zealand Ministry of Health, has conclusively found no evidence linking mobile phone usage to brain, head, or neck cancers. The study, one of the most extensive of its kind, analyzed 64 observational studies conducted between 1994 and 2022, involving participants from 22 countries.Myths surrounding use of mobile phone and cancerFor years, concerns have been raised that mobile phones, which emit non-ionizing radiation through radio waves, could be a potential cause of brain tumors and other cancers. However, this extensive review, which included data on both adult and pediatric cases, revealed no significant association between mobile phone use and any form of cancer, including those of the brain, pituitary gland, salivary glands, and leukemias.The findings further emphasized that even prolonged mobile phone use—defined as ten years or more—does not increase the risk of developing these cancers. The study also noted that despite the significant rise in mobile phone usage and wireless technology over the past few decades, there has been no corresponding increase in the incidence of brain cancers.What did WHO sayMark Elwood, a professor of cancer epidemiology at the University of Auckland and co-author of the study, stated, “None of the major questions studied showed increased risks.” This research challenges the 2011 classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a WHO body, which had previously suggested that radio wave exposure could be a possible carcinogen to humans. The new data strongly supports the need to re-evaluate this classification.Modern mobile phones emit radio waves well below safety limits, and this study provides reassurance, helping to dispel longstanding myths regarding their long-term usage.
