U.S. Govt Seeks Public Comment on Health Impacts of EMF/RF Radiation
New Initiative Has Uncertain Future
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has opened an official inquiry into the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and wireless (RF) radiation.
In a public notice published in the Federal Register on September 21, HHS is asking for advice on the state of the science and the adequacy of current exposure standards and regulations. Comments are due by October 21.
“I encourage scientists, physicians, industry, public health experts, workers, parents, and citizens to bring us the best available evidence so we can identify the gaps and focus federal research where it is needed most,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a press release issued yesterday.
After years of downplaying concerns over potential health effects —to the point of sidelining the National Toxicological Program’s (NTP) 10-year, $30 million project showing a “clear evidence” of an RF–cancer risk— the federal government appears ready to reenter the fray.
Whether anything comes out of this is far from clear.
While HHS may seem to be the logical agency to address EMF/RF health impacts, the department has rarely ventured into this ever-controversial area of public health. Some notable exceptions include cell phones, microwave ovens and medical diathermy, though it has done little on these devices for many years.
The statutory authority to regulate cell phones was delegated to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by the U.S. Congress under the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968. (FDA is part of HHS.) But, even for cell phones, the FDA has taken a back seat to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which set the current RF exposure limits (SARs) for cell phones 30 years ago (see MWN, J/A96).
FCC Also Seeking Comments on RF
As it happens, the FCC is itself currently seeking public comment on a more limited number of RF-releated health issues. That official notice appears in the September 22 Federal Register. (Here’s the press release.) These comments are due by October 22.
In this case, the FCC is responding to a court order stemming from a 2021 court ruling in a lawsuit brought by the Envinronmental Health Trust (EHT), among other groups. RFK Jr. was also one of the petitioners.
EMFs and RF radiation have historically been the purview of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Over 40 years ago, in December 1982, EPA, following years of measurement surveys around the country, announced in the Federal Register its intention to propose a national maximum exposure level (see MWN, J/F83). It never happened. The effort faded away under pressure from radio and TV broadcasters. EPA has not worked on EMFs or RF for decades.
Simply doing more research will not be easy. Most of the labs that worked on EMF and RF biological and health effects closed down or moved on after government funding dried up. Even the NTP abandoned its follow-up studies a couple of years ago. (NTP is part of HHS.)
One key uncertainty is where this new initiative stands relative to the many other concerns on Kennedy’s agenda.
Indeed, on the same day that Kennedy announced the EMF/wireless inquiry, he spoke at a conference in Washington hosted by Children’s Health Defense, the non-profit he founded and ran before joining the Trump administration in 2025. There, according to a report from the meeting by STAT News, the health reporting service, Kennedy doubled down on his attacks on vaccines: “RFK Jr., who previously downplayed his vaccine skepticism, has now made it central to his legacy.”
And at the same conference, Kennedy revealed that he was also investigating the health impact of jet contrails—the mostly water vapor streaks from high-flying aircraft. Some call them “chemtrails” because, they allege without evidence, the emissions contain harmful chemicals. In its report on Kennedy’s keynote address, CNN called chemtrails a “debunked conspiracy theory.”
What HHS Is Looking For
Here are the types of EMF/RF information requested by HHS, as spelled out in yesterday’s press release:
Links to Comments Received