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Cancer & Tumors163 citations

Epidemiologic Evidence on mobile phones and tumor risk: a review.

No Effects Found

Ahlbom A, Feychting M, Green A, Kheifets L, Savitz DA, Swerdlow AJ; ICNIRP (International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) Standing Committee on Epidemiology. · 2009

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This review found no brain tumor risk within 10 years of mobile phone use, but acknowledged the timeframe was too short to detect slow-growing tumors.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers from the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection reviewed all available studies on mobile phone use and brain tumor risk through 2009. They found no increased risk of brain tumors within approximately 10 years of mobile phone use, though they noted the observation period may be too short to detect slow-growing tumors that could take decades to develop. The review acknowledged significant methodological problems in existing studies, including biased recall of phone usage patterns.

Why This Matters

This 2009 review represents the official position of ICNIRP, the organization that sets international EMF exposure guidelines. While the authors found no clear tumor risk within 10 years of use, their candid acknowledgment of methodological limitations is significant. They specifically noted that the observation period was too short for slow-growing tumors like meningioma and acoustic neuroma, which can take 20-30 years to develop. The reality is that mobile phones became widespread only in the 1990s, so by 2009, we simply didn't have enough long-term data. What this means for you: the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, particularly for health effects that may take decades to manifest.

Study Details

This review summarizes and interprets epidemiologic evidence bearing on a possible causal relation between radiofrequency field exposure from mobile phone use and tumor risk.

We considered methodologic features that might explain the deviant results, but found no clear expla...

Cite This Study
Ahlbom A, Feychting M, Green A, Kheifets L, Savitz DA, Swerdlow AJ; ICNIRP (International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) Standing Committee on Epidemiology. (2009). Epidemiologic Evidence on mobile phones and tumor risk: a review. Epidemiology. 20(5):639-652, 2009.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2009_epidemiologic_evidence_on_mobile_2939,
  author = {Ahlbom A and Feychting M and Green A and Kheifets L and Savitz DA and Swerdlow AJ; ICNIRP (International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) Standing Committee on Epidemiology.},
  title = {Epidemiologic Evidence on mobile phones and tumor risk: a review.},
  year = {2009},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19593153/},
}
PubMed: 19593153

Cited By (163 papers)

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Quick Questions About This Study

No, the ICNIRP's comprehensive 2009 review found no increased risk of brain tumors within approximately 10 years of mobile phone use. However, researchers noted this timeframe may be too short to detect slow-growing tumors that could take decades to develop.
The observation period in studies has been too short to detect slow-growing tumors like meningiomas and acoustic neuromas, which can take decades to develop. Most research only covers about 10 years of phone use, limiting conclusions about long-term risks.
Yes, the ICNIRP review identified significant methodological problems including biased recall of phone usage patterns. People often inaccurately remember their past phone use habits, which can skew study results and make it difficult to assess true cancer risks.
The ICNIRP review found no evidence that mobile phones cause fast-growing malignant gliomas in adults, at least for tumors with short induction periods. The available data through 2009 did not suggest a causal association with these aggressive brain cancers.
Slow-growing tumors like meningiomas and acoustic neuromas require longer observation periods to properly assess mobile phone risks. The ICNIRP review noted that conclusions about these tumor types are less definitive because they develop over many decades.