Cellphone Radiation May Cause Cancer, U.S. National Toxicology Program Finds

A U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) report found at least some evidence that cellphones cause cancer. NTP researchers subjected male rats to constant, heavy doses of cellphone radiation. The program gathered data on an unprecedented number of rodents subjected to a lifetime of electromagnetic radiation, at much higher does than anyone would get using a cellphone, NTP said. The program released partial results of the $25 million study, which hasn't been completed. Researchers found “low incidences of 12 malignant gliomas in the brain and schwannomas in the heart of male rats” exposed to radiofrequency radiation (RFR), the report said. NTP tested both GSM and CDMA systems used in U.S. wireless networks. “Potentially preneoplastic lesions were also observed in the brain and heart of male rats exposed to RFR,” the report said. Rats in a control group not subject to the radiation didn't develop similar tumors, NTP said. "No biologically significant effects were observed in the brain or heart of female rats,” the report found. NTP said it decided to release partial results because of the importance of the topic. “Given the widespread global usage of mobile communications among users of all ages, even a very small increase in the incidence of disease resulting from exposure to RFR could have broad implications for public health,” NTP said. “There is a high level of public and media interest regarding the safety of cell phone RFR and the specific results of these NTP studies.” CTIA is still reviewing the study, a spokesperson said. "The larger scientific community will consider the partial findings, as well as the complete reports, in the context of the many other scientific studies conducted over several decades," CTIA said. "Numerous international and U.S. organizations, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, and American Cancer Society, have determined that the already existing body of peer-reviewed and published studies shows that there are no established health effects from radio frequency signals used in cellphones. The evidence includes official federal brain cancer statistics showing that since the introduction of cellphones in the mid-1980s, the rate of brain cancer in the United States has remained stable.” The NTP is a federal interagency group under the National Institutes of Health.