The Science Behind the Danger of Cell Phones

By: Laura Bogh
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Brain Health
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June 29, 2021
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5 Min read

Cell-phone-EMF-study-info-1 Given how much time we spend with our phones at our ears, it’s reasonable to wonder if there’s any health risk from cell phone electromagnetic fields. Some people fear that cumulative exposure to the energy produced by cell phones might lead to cancer or cause tissue abnormalities. Fortunately, there’s no proof that cell phone electromagnetic fields (EMF) cause any type of health risk at all. Research into how radiation affects living tissue has failed to show any evidence of harm to our tissues when exposed to the electromagnetic fields produced by cell phones. Let’s look at why cell phones are safe, but other forms of radiation are not.

“Radiation” is a pretty scary word, conjuring to mind radioactive fallout from nuclear waste or nuclear weapons, but radiation is a general term for all forms of energy on the electromagnetic spectrum. The light we see, radio that we listen to and energy our cell phones receive and transmit are all forms of radiation. More specifically, cell phones receive and produce non-ionizing radiofrequency radiation. Radiofrequency radiation is able to travel a great distance but doesn’t have the energy necessary to damage living tissue. It passes through our bodies without causing any harm to our cells or tissues.

Ionizing Versus Non-Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiation carries enough energy to damage the tissues of the body. This damage may be minute, but cumulative exposure can lead to long-term health issues. Examples of ionizing radiation include ultraviolet light, gamma rays, and X-rays. Non-ionizing radiation has a lower frequency and is less energetic. Examples include cell phone radioelectric and magnetic fields, radio waves, Wi-Fi networks, computers, and visual light.

How Does Ionizing Radiation Harm Tissue?

Some forms of radiation are so energetic they have the power to affect the structure of our cells at a molecular level. Ionizing radiation does this by breaking free electrons from the tightly bound atomic structure of the molecules that make up our living tissue. This process creates ions, hence the term ionizing radiation.

Some forms of ionizing radiation, like gamma rays, are immediately dangerous. However, gamma radiation and many other forms of high-energy radiation coming from outer space are blocked by the Earth’s atmosphere. Some forms of ionizing radiation can penetrate the atmosphere and affect us directly. Ultraviolent radiation found in sunlight is an example of a common kind of highly energetic ionizing radiation. Repeated and excessive exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer.

Who Monitors the Safety of Cell Phone EMF?

Over the past 30 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has monitored the rate of brain cancer and other nervous system disorders in relation to cellphone usage and has found no increase in the level of brain and nervous system cancer. Certainly, given that cell phone use has skyrocketed over the last twenty years, if cell phone EMF were capable of easily and readily causing tissue damage, those rates would have increased. Instead, there’s been a small but steady decline. In fact, the rate of nervous system cancer and brain cancer has slightly declined in the United States during the last decade.

Part of the confusion about the potential hazards of cell phone EMF arises from a 2011 report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that labeled cell phone radiofrequency energy as a “possible carcinogen.” However, more intensive and comprehensive research over the last decade has shown that cell phone RF energy neither causes cancer nor contributes to cell damage. Changes in the way brain cancer is classified also led to a statistical increase in brain cancer, but more complete data has shown there is no association between brain cancer and cell phone EMF. There have been numerous research studies conducted that have examined the effects of EMF from radio energy, and none have found any evidence linking cancer in humans to cell phones.