Hardell L, Carlberg M, Hansson Mild K. · 2010
Swedish researchers studied 346 people who died from malignant brain tumors and found those who used mobile phones for more than 10 years had 2.4 times higher risk of developing these deadly brain cancers. The risk climbed even higher for people with over 2,000 hours of lifetime mobile phone use, reaching 3.4 times normal risk. This study is particularly significant because it examined deceased cases, eliminating the possibility that living brain tumor patients might wrongly blame their phones for their illness.
Cooke R, Laing S, Swerdlow AJ. · 2010
Researchers studied 806 leukemia patients and 585 healthy controls in England to examine whether mobile phone use increases leukemia risk. They found no overall increased risk of leukemia among regular mobile phone users, though people who first used phones 15 or more years ago showed a nearly doubled risk that wasn't quite statistically significant. This suggests mobile phones don't cause leukemia in most users, but very long-term effects remain uncertain.
Behrens T et al. · 2010
European researchers studied 293 people with uveal melanoma (a rare eye cancer) and 3,198 controls to examine whether workplace electromagnetic field exposure increases cancer risk. They found that women exposed to high-voltage electrical installations had nearly 6 times higher risk of developing this eye cancer, with the strongest effects seen in women with dark eyes. The study suggests that certain occupational EMF exposures may significantly increase eye cancer risk, particularly for women in electrical work environments.
Tillmann T et al. · 2010
Researchers exposed pregnant mice to 3G cell phone radiation for 24 months alongside a cancer-causing chemical. The radiation doubled metastasizing lung tumors compared to the chemical alone, suggesting cell phone radiation may help other carcinogens become more dangerous.
Mannerling AC, Simkó M, Mild KH, Mattsson MO · 2010
Researchers exposed human blood cells to 50-Hz magnetic fields at household appliance levels for one hour. The exposure doubled stress protein production and increased harmful oxygen radicals by 30-40%, indicating cellular damage at magnetic field strengths commonly found near home electronics.
Garip AI, Akan Z. · 2010
Scientists exposed human blood cancer cells to electromagnetic fields from power lines for three hours. The fields protected healthy cells from dying but increased cell death in already-stressed cells. This shows that EMF effects depend on the cell's existing health condition.
Ayşe IG, Zafer A, Sule O, Işil IT, Kalkan T. · 2010
Turkish researchers exposed leukemia cells to 50 Hz magnetic fields for different time periods. A single one-hour exposure decreased cell maturation, but daily exposure for four days increased it. This shows EMF timing can produce opposite biological effects in the same cells.
Stang A et al. · 2009
German researchers studied 459 people with uveal melanoma (a rare eye cancer) to see if mobile phone use increased their risk. They compared these cancer patients to over 1,000 control subjects and found no connection between regular mobile phone use and developing this type of eye cancer. This study contradicted the researchers' own previous findings that had suggested a link.
Schoemaker MJ, Swerdlow AJ · 2009
British researchers studied 291 people with pituitary tumors (small growths in a brain gland that regulates hormones) and 630 healthy controls to see if cell phone use increased tumor risk. They found no association between cell phone use and pituitary tumors, even among the heaviest users or those who had used phones for over 10 years. This suggests that cell phone radiation doesn't appear to cause this specific type of brain tumor.
Billaudel B, Taxile M, Ruffie G, Veyret B, Lagroye I. · 2009
Researchers exposed mouse cells to cell phone signals (DAMPS and GSM) for one hour to see if it would increase activity of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), an enzyme linked to cell growth and potentially cancer development. They found no significant changes in ODC activity at exposure levels of 2.5 and 6 W/kg, contradicting some earlier studies that reported increased enzyme activity. This suggests that under controlled temperature conditions, these specific cell phone signals may not trigger this particular cellular response.
Billaudel B et al. · 2009
Researchers exposed human brain tumor cells to cell phone radiation similar to DAMPS and GSM signals for up to 24 hours, then measured changes in an enzyme called ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) that's involved in cell growth. They found no changes in ODC activity regardless of the type of signal, exposure duration, or radiation intensity. This suggests that typical cell phone radiation levels don't affect this particular cellular process in brain cells.
Ahlbom A et al. · 2009
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.
Wake K et al. · 2009
Researchers developed a method to accurately map how cell phone radiation (called SAR) spreads throughout the human brain using standard phone testing data. They found they could successfully estimate radiation exposure patterns in specific brain regions where tumors develop. This technique was used in the major INTERPHONE study to better understand the relationship between cell phone use and brain cancer risk.
Vrijheid M et al. · 2009
This study examined a critical flaw in mobile phone brain tumor research: people who refuse to participate in studies are less likely to use mobile phones regularly. Researchers found that non-participants used phones at lower rates (50-56%) compared to study participants (66-69%), creating a systematic bias that could underestimate cancer risks by about 10%. This means many studies may be missing the very people whose phone usage patterns could reveal stronger links to brain tumors.
Myung SK et al. · 2009
Researchers analyzed 23 studies involving nearly 38,000 people to examine whether mobile phone use increases tumor risk. While overall results showed no clear association, the highest-quality studies with proper blinding revealed a harmful effect, and people who used phones for 10 years or longer showed an 18% increased risk of tumors. The findings highlight how study design quality significantly affects results in EMF research.
Johansson O. · 2009
This comprehensive review by Swedish researcher Olle Johansson examined dozens of studies on how electromagnetic fields affect the immune system. The research shows that EMF exposure disrupts immune function by triggering allergic and inflammatory responses while impairing the body's ability to repair tissue damage. These immune disruptions occur at EMF levels well below current safety limits and may increase disease risk, including cancer.
Hartikka H et al. · 2009
Finnish researchers studied 99 brain tumor patients to see if gliomas (a type of brain cancer) occurred more often in the part of the brain closest to where people hold their cell phones. They found that mobile phone users were twice as likely to develop tumors within 4.6 centimeters of their phone's typical position compared to non-users (28% vs 14%). This innovative approach directly examined whether radiofrequency radiation causes localized cancer effects in the brain region receiving the highest exposure.
Hardell L, Carlberg M. · 2009
Swedish researchers analyzed brain tumor patients and found that people who used mobile phones or cordless phones on the same side of their head where tumors developed had significantly higher cancer risks. The risk was especially pronounced for those who started using wireless phones before age 20, with mobile phone users showing a 5.2-fold increased risk for astrocytoma (a type of brain cancer). The study also found that brain cancer rates in Sweden increased by over 2% annually during the 2000s, coinciding with widespread wireless phone adoption.
Han YY, Kano H, Davis DL, Niranjan A, Lunsford LD. · 2009
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reviewed 11 studies examining whether cell phone use increases the risk of acoustic neuroma, a type of brain tumor that develops near the ear. While most studies found no link, those that followed people for 10 years or longer showed cell phone users had 2.4 times higher risk of developing these tumors on the same side of their head where they held their phone. The researchers concluded that better study methods and access to actual phone usage data are needed to determine the true risk.
Cao Y, Zhang W, Lu MX, Xu Q, Meng QQ, Nie JH, Tong J. · 2009
Researchers exposed brain cancer cells to 900-MHz microwave radiation (the same frequency used by many cell phones) before treating them with gamma rays. They found that the microwave exposure made the cells more vulnerable to radiation damage, increasing cell death and creating more harmful reactive oxygen species. This suggests that EMF exposure might amplify the harmful effects of other types of radiation.
Anghileri LJ, Mayayo E, Domingo JL. · 2009
Researchers studied how aluminum combined with radiofrequency radiation affects cancer development in mice with lymphoma. They found that this combination accelerated cancer progression and death, causing rapid growth of lymphoid tissue in the spleen and liver. The effect was strongest when aluminum could easily release ions in the body, suggesting that aluminum and RF radiation work together to disrupt normal cellular processes.
Pérez-Castejón C et al. · 2009
Spanish researchers exposed human brain cancer cells (astrocytoma) to pulsed microwave radiation at 9.6 GHz for various time periods up to 24 hours. They found that after 24 hours of exposure, the cancer cells showed significantly increased proliferation (growth and division) compared to unexposed cells, even at extremely low power levels. This suggests that microwave radiation may accelerate the growth of existing brain tumors.
Kundi M, Hutter HP. · 2009
Researchers reviewed studies examining health effects from cell phone base stations (cell towers) and found concerning patterns. Multiple studies showed increased health complaints and cancer rates within 350-400 meters of base stations, with effects appearing at power densities around 0.5-1 milliwatts per square meter. The authors concluded that base station exposure needs urgent independent study, separate from cell phone research.
Sadetzki S et al. · 2008
Israeli researchers studied 460 people with parotid gland tumors (located near the ear) and compared their cell phone use to 1,266 healthy controls. While overall cell phone use didn't increase tumor risk, heavy users who held phones directly to their heads showed a 58% higher risk of developing tumors on the same side where they used their phone. This suggests that intensive cell phone use without hands-free devices may increase risk of tumors in glands near where the phone is held.
Lee JJ et al. · 2008
Researchers exposed mouse cells to cell phone-level radiofrequency radiation (849 MHz) at power levels of 2 or 10 watts per kilogram for up to three days and measured whether this affected cell division, movement, or invasion capabilities. They found no statistically significant changes in any of these cellular functions compared to unexposed cells. This suggests that short-term RF exposure at these power levels does not disrupt basic cellular processes related to growth and migration.
