A Report on Non-Ionizing Radiation

systematic reviews: Microwave News Article Archive (2004 - )

September 11, 2024

An international team of researchers, many with close ties to ICNIRP, is trying to put to rest the very possibility that RF radiation can lead to brain cancer —and, by extension, any type of cancer.

On August 30, they published a detailed systematic review of RF and cell phone epidemiological studies, which concludes that there is little evidence to justify continued concern over a possible cancer link.

“We can now be more confident that exposure to radio waves from mobile phones or wireless technologies is not associated with an increased risk of brain cancer,” declares Ken Karipidis in the press release. He is an assistant director of the ARPANSA, Australia’s radiation protection agency, and the vice chair of ICNIRP.

August 21, 2024

Another WHO RF Review Challenged

A third RF systematic review commissioned by the World Health Organization’s EMF Project is under fire. This one is on RF–induced oxidative stress.

Last month, two other WHO reviews —on pregnancy outcomes and on tinnitus— were both called into question as critics called for them to be retracted.

A team of 14 from six countries, led by Felix Meyer of the German Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), identified 11,599 studies on oxidative stress in the frequency range 800-2450 MHz. They then eliminated 11,543 of them as not meeting their criteria for inclusion.

July 13, 2024

“A Critical Appraisal of the WHO 2024 Systematic Review of the Effects of RF-EMF Exposure on Tinnitus, Migraine/Headache, and Non-Specific Symptoms,” Reviews on Environmental Health, July 15, 2024. “We call for a retraction of SR7 and an impartial investigation by unconflicted experts of the currently available evidence and future research priorities.” Open access.

July 10, 2024

“WHO To Build Neglect of RF-EMF Exposure Hazards on Flawed EHC reviews? Case Study Demonstrates How “No Hazards” Conclusion Is Drawn from Data Showing Hazards,” Reviews on Environmental Health, July 10, 2024. In-depth analysis of one of WHO’s EMF Project’s RF systematic reviews —on pregnancy & birth outcomes. “The errors, flaws and omissions are grave enough to render [it] unscientific and unethical, and it should therefore be retracted.” Open access.

November 22, 2023

“Biological Effects of EMFs on Insects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Reviews on Environmental Health, November 23, 2023. “Biological effects of non-thermal EMF on insects are clearly proven in the laboratory, but only partly in the field, thus the wider ecological implications are still unknown. There is a need for more field studies, but extrapolating from the laboratory ... already warrants increasing the threat level of environmental EMF impact on insects.” A major review with162 references. Open access.

May 21, 2023

“EMF Exposure on Fetal and Childhood Abnormalities: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Open Medicine, May 12, 2023. “Fetal and childhood abnormalities were more common in parents who have been exposed to EMFs compared to those who have not.”

November 4, 2021

“Effect of Radiation Emitted by Wireless Devices on Male Reproductive Hormones: A Systematic Review,” Frontiers in Physiology: Reproduction, September 24, 2021. Open access. “[A]voiding long-term and excessive use of mobile phone is advisable to reduce the detrimental effect of RF-EMR.”

August 5, 2021

“Effects of Mobile Phone Usage on Sperm Quality — No Time-Dependent Relationship on Usage: A Systematic Review and Updated Meta-Analysis,” Environmental Research, November 2021. Long-term use of a cell phone “is a factor that must be considered as a cause of sperm quality reduction.”

May 15, 2021

“Exposure to ELF Magnetic Fields and Childhood Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” PLoS One, May 14, 2021. Significant associations were observed between exposure to ELF-MFs and childhood leukemia. Furthermore, a possible dose-response effect was also observed.”

November 23, 2020

Public Shut Out of GlobalRF Health Briefing

An international briefing on RF health research, known as GLORE 2020, was held online, November 9-12, featuring updates on the second phase of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) project and the Japanese-Korean partial repeat. The WHO presented a status report on ten ongoing systematic reviews of RF health effects.

Government and industry representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the U.S. participated, as did an assortment of academics. The public was not invited.

Everything about GLORE 2020 is being kept secret.

November 4, 2019

Will WHO Kick Its ICNIRP Habit?

UPDATE: With no public notice or any formal announcement, the World Health Organization (WHO) held the first meeting of its RF Working Group in Geneva March 14-16, 2023.

The group is preparing a review of health effects, as part of a process that has been ongoing for close to a decade.

Our latest chapter, “RF Review Shrouded in Secrecy,” is posted here.

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After eight years of work, the WHO is reopening its review of the health effects of RF radiation for a summary report intended to serve as a benchmark for its more than 150 member countries. The report will be used as a guide to respond to widespread concerns over the new world of 5G.

The WHO issued a public call in October for detailed literature reviews on ten types of RF–health impacts from cancer to fertility to electrohypersensitivity. Some see the move as a sign that the health agency is interested in opinions beyond those of its long-time partner, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). They hope that the WHO is finally ready to recognize evidence of low-level effects, in particular the link between cell phones and cancer. Others are far from convinced.

The skeptics see the new reviews as little more than a ruse.