Article publication date:
October 2022
Authored by:
Elwood et al.
Summary:
There have been some case control studies that have found an increased risk of brain cancer associated with mobile phone use. If these results were true, due to the increasing prevalence in use of mobile phones, there would be an increased incidence of brain cancer over time. This study investigated whether the proliferation of mobile phone use had increased the incidence rate of brain cancer in the New Zealand population (aged 10 – 69 years) during 1995-2020. Data on incidence of brain cancers were collected from the New Zealand Cancer Registry, whereas mobile phone use data were estimated from information on mobile phone accounts and consumer surveys. Mobile phone use increased rapidly from 1990 to approximately 50% of the population by 2000 and almost all the population by 2006. There were 7,397 eligible brain cancer cases diagnosed in the study timeframe of which 6677 were glioma. The study found no increased incidence of glioma in the 10 – 69-year age bracket or in the parietal or temporal lobes of the brain which would receive the most radiofrequency electromagnetic energy from using a mobile phone. The authors conclude that the study found no increase in brain cancer related to mobile phone use.
Link to:
Published In:
Cancer Epidemiology
Commentary by ARPANSA:
The results of this study are consistent with other major studies including the UK Million Women Study, the Mobi-kids study, the Nationwide Danish cohort study, as well as research conducted by APANSA (Karipidis et al.) and in the Nordic countries which found no association between mobile phone use and the risk of brain cancer. This study adds further evidence that there are no substantiated adverse health effects from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic energy from mobile phones and other wireless devices at levels below the limits set in the ARPANSA Safety Standard (RPS S-1). The ARPANSA Safety Standard provides protection to people of all ages and health statuses. It is the assessment of ARPANSA and other health authorities, including the World Health Organization and International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, that there is no substantiated scientific evidence that mobile phones cause any adverse health effect, including brain cancer.
