Tumor promotion by exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields below exposure limits for humans.
Lerchl A, Klose M, Grote K, Wilhelm AF, Spathmann O, Fiedler T, Streckert J, Hansen V, Clemens M. · 2015
View Original AbstractRF radiation promoted tumor growth at exposure levels well below mobile phone safety limits, confirming radiation can accelerate cancer without directly causing it.
Plain English Summary
German researchers exposed mice to radiofrequency radiation at levels similar to cell phones and found significantly higher numbers of lung, liver, and lymph node tumors compared to unexposed animals. The tumor-promoting effects occurred at very low exposure levels - well below current safety limits for mobile phone users. This replication study confirms earlier findings that RF radiation may accelerate tumor growth even when it doesn't directly cause cancer.
Why This Matters
This study represents a significant confirmation of concerning findings about RF radiation's tumor-promoting effects. What makes these results particularly noteworthy is that the strongest effects occurred at exposure levels of 0.04 and 0.4 W/kg SAR - far below the 2 W/kg limit set by safety agencies and typical of actual mobile phone use. The science demonstrates that RF radiation doesn't need to directly cause cancer to be harmful; it can accelerate the growth of tumors initiated by other factors. This tumor promotion mechanism helps explain the increased brain tumor rates observed in heavy mobile phone users in epidemiological studies. The absence of a clear dose-response relationship suggests the biological effects may be more complex than regulators assume, challenging the 'more power equals more harm' model that underlies current safety standards.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0, 0.04, 0.4 and 2 W/kg
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Tumor promotion by exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields below exposure limits for humans.
We have performed a replication study using higher numbers of animals per group and including two ad...
We could confirm and extend the originally reported findings. Numbers of tumors of the lungs and liv...
Our findings may help to understand the repeatedly reported increased incidences of brain tumors in heavy users of mobile phones.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2015_tumor_promotion_by_exposure_1147,
author = {Lerchl A and Klose M and Grote K and Wilhelm AF and Spathmann O and Fiedler T and Streckert J and Hansen V and Clemens M.},
title = {Tumor promotion by exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields below exposure limits for humans.},
year = {2015},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25749340/},
}