Browse 8,655 peer-reviewed studies on electromagnetic field health effects from 4 research libraries.
Showing 738 studies in Cancer & Tumors
Inskip PD et al. · 2001
Researchers examined 782 brain tumor patients and 799 controls to see if cell phone use increases brain tumor risk. They found no increased risk of glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma among people who used cell phones for more than 100 hours or regularly for five or more years. However, the study period (1994-1998) means it couldn't assess risks from long-term heavy use or tumors that take decades to develop.
Higashikubo R et al. · 2001
Researchers exposed mouse and human cells to radiofrequency radiation at frequencies used by cell phones (835-847 MHz) for up to 100 hours to see if it affected how cells divide and grow. They found no changes in cell division patterns compared to unexposed cells. This suggests that RF radiation at these power levels doesn't disrupt normal cellular reproduction processes.
Heikkinen P et al. · 2001
Finnish researchers exposed mice to both X-rays (to initiate cancer) and mobile phone radiation for 78 weeks to see if RF radiation would promote tumor growth. The study tested two types of phone signals - continuous NMT at 1.5 W/kg SAR and pulsed GSM at 0.35 W/kg SAR. Neither type of mobile phone radiation increased cancer rates compared to control groups, suggesting RF radiation does not act as a tumor promoter in this animal model.
Stang A et al. · 2001
German researchers studied 118 people with uveal melanoma (a rare eye cancer) and 475 healthy controls to examine whether radiofrequency radiation exposure increases cancer risk. They found that people with probable mobile phone exposure had over 4 times higher odds of developing this eye cancer, while exposure to radio equipment tripled the risk. This was the first study to link radiofrequency radiation to this specific type of eye tumor.
Hardell L, Hansson Mild K, Pahlson A, Hallquist A · 2001
Swedish researchers studied 233 brain tumor patients and 425 healthy controls to examine various risk factors for brain tumors, including cell phone use. They found that people who used cell phones on the same side of their head where tumors developed had a 2.42 times higher risk of developing brain tumors in the areas closest to where phones emit radiation. The study also identified increased risks from occupational radiation exposure and certain chemical industry jobs.
Fabbro-Peray P, Daures JP, Rossi JF. · 2001
French researchers studied 445 people with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (a blood cancer) and 1,025 healthy controls to identify environmental risk factors. They found that working as a radio operator increased lymphoma risk by 210% compared to other occupations, alongside other factors like chemical exposure and welding. This suggests that occupational electromagnetic radiation exposure may contribute to this serious blood cancer.
Devyatkov ND, Pletnyov SD, Betskii OV, Faikin VV · 2001
Russian researchers investigated whether pulsed microwave radiation could slow the growth of cancer tumors in laboratory experiments. They found that specific types of low-energy, high-peak-power nanosecond microwave pulses had an inhibitory effect on malignant tumor growth. The researchers concluded these microwave pulses could potentially serve as a treatment approach for cancer.
Novoselova EG, Ogai VB, Sorokina OV, Novikov VV, Fesenko EE · 2001
Researchers exposed tumor-bearing mice to extremely low-level microwaves (1 microW/cm2) combined with weak magnetic fields for 1.5 hours daily over 7 days. They found that this dual exposure increased production of tumor necrosis factor, a protein that helps the immune system fight cancer cells. The results suggest that certain EMF exposures might actually enhance the body's natural tumor-fighting response.
De Roos AJ et al. · 2001
Researchers studied 538 children with neuroblastoma cancer to see if parents' workplace electromagnetic field exposure increased risk. Mothers exposed to radiofrequency radiation had nearly triple the odds, while fathers exposed to magnetic fields showed 60% higher odds, suggesting potential workplace EMF risks.
Unknown authors · 2000
This National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study examined 12 male workers who operated radiofrequency dielectric heaters and 34 unexposed workers, measuring semen quality and hormone levels. While RF exposures stayed within current safety standards, exposed operators showed a 31% higher average follicle-stimulating hormone level (7.6 vs 5.8 mIU/mL), suggesting potential reproductive system effects. The findings indicate that even exposures below official limits may impact male reproductive hormones.
Unknown authors · 2000
University of Washington researchers exposed human brain tumor cells (astrocytomas) to 60-Hz magnetic fields at household appliance levels (0.3-1.2 gauss) for up to 72 hours. The magnetic fields caused these cancer cells to multiply faster in a dose-dependent manner, while having no effect on normal brain cells. This provides a potential biological mechanism for epidemiological studies linking magnetic field exposure to increased brain tumor risk.
Unknown authors · 2000
German researchers found that 50 Hz magnetic fields at 100 microtesla significantly increased mammary tumor development in rats treated with a cancer-causing chemical. However, when U.S. researchers tried to replicate the study using similar methods, they could not reproduce these findings, highlighting challenges in EMF research reproducibility.
Unknown authors · 2000
Swedish researchers studied women living near power lines to examine whether magnetic field exposure from both power lines and workplace sources increases breast cancer risk. They found elevated breast cancer risk in younger women (under 50) exposed to occupational magnetic fields above 0.25 microTesla, with the highest risk in those with estrogen-positive tumors. The study suggests magnetic field exposure may particularly affect hormone-sensitive breast cancers in premenopausal women.
Unknown authors · 2000
Researchers exposed human brain tumor cells (astrocytomas) to 60-Hz magnetic fields at household appliance levels and found the fields significantly increased tumor cell growth. The magnetic fields also amplified the growth-promoting effects of other chemical signals, suggesting a mechanism by which power line frequencies might contribute to brain tumor development.
Unknown authors · 2000
National Cancer Institute researchers examined whether study design flaws might explain inconsistent findings in EMF-childhood leukemia research. They found that excluding participants who didn't allow full home access increased the apparent cancer risk by 23%, suggesting selection bias may distort EMF study results. This highlights a critical methodological problem that could affect the reliability of EMF health research.
Unknown authors · 2000
Researchers exposed human breast and blood cancer cells to 60 Hz magnetic fields (the same frequency as power lines) for 24 hours to see if EMF could alter cancer-related genes. While some genes showed changes, no consistent pattern emerged across repeated experiments, and the study found no reliable evidence that power line frequency magnetic fields affect genes involved in cancer development.
Unknown authors · 2000
This comprehensive review examined multiple animal studies testing whether low-frequency magnetic fields (50-60 Hz) cause leukemia and lymphoma in rodents. Studies involving over 3,000 mice and rats exposed to magnetic fields up to 5,000 times stronger than typical home levels found no increased cancer rates. The consistently negative results challenge epidemiological studies suggesting a link between power line EMF and childhood leukemia.
Unknown authors · 2000
German researchers found that 50 Hz magnetic fields at 100 microtesla significantly increased mammary tumor development in rats treated with a cancer-causing chemical. However, when U.S. researchers tried to replicate the study using similar methods, they couldn't reproduce these results. The researchers identified multiple differences between the studies that might explain why results varied.
Unknown authors · 2000
Researchers combined data from nine studies involving over 13,000 children to examine the link between power line magnetic fields and childhood leukemia. They found that 99.2% of children living in homes with low magnetic field exposure (below 0.4 microTesla) showed no increased cancer risk, but the small group exposed to higher levels had double the leukemia risk. This represents the largest analysis of its kind and confirms earlier concerns about high-level residential magnetic field exposure.
Unknown authors · 2000
Researchers analyzed 164 electric utility workers who died from leukemia and 145 who died from brain cancer, comparing their workplace magnetic field exposure to 800 randomly selected workers. The study found no link between magnetic fields and leukemia deaths, but workers with the highest magnetic field exposure showed 2.5 times higher risk of brain cancer death.
Unknown authors · 2000
This major pooled analysis combined data from 15 studies examining magnetic field exposure and childhood leukemia risk. Researchers found children exposed to magnetic fields above 0.3 microtesla had a 70% increased risk of leukemia compared to those with minimal exposure. The analysis suggests magnetic field exposure may account for about 3% of childhood leukemia cases in the U.S.
Unknown authors · 2000
This 2000 case-control study examined 469 brain cancer patients and 422 matched controls across five U.S. medical centers to investigate whether handheld cell phone use increases brain cancer risk. Researchers found no overall increased risk, with users actually showing slightly lower odds ratios compared to non-users, though they noted more brain tumors occurred on the same side of the head where phones were used. The study acknowledged important limitations including short average use duration (under 3 years) and the need for longer-term data to assess slow-growing tumors.
Vijayalaxmi, Leal BZ, Szilagyi M, Prihoda TJ, Meltz ML, · 2000
Researchers exposed human blood cells to 2450 MHz radiofrequency radiation (the same frequency used in microwave ovens and some WiFi) for 2 hours to see if it would damage DNA. They found no evidence of DNA damage - the cells looked identical to unexposed cells, while cells exposed to ionizing radiation showed clear damage. This suggests that RF radiation at these levels doesn't break DNA strands in human immune cells.
Muscat JE et al. · 2000
Researchers studied 469 brain cancer patients and 422 healthy controls to see if cell phone use increased brain cancer risk. They found no association between handheld cell phone use and brain cancer, even among the heaviest users (over 10 hours per month). However, the study period was relatively short, with users averaging less than 3 years of exposure.
Morgan RW et al. · 2000
Researchers followed nearly 200,000 Motorola employees for 20 years to see if workplace radiofrequency exposure increased their risk of brain cancer, lymphoma, or leukemia. Workers exposed to RF radiation actually had lower rates of these cancers compared to the general population, with no increase in cancer risk even among those with the highest exposures or longest work duration.