No link between mobile phone use and brain cancer, finds WHO-commissioned review

Research commissioned by the World Health Organization found no link between cell phone use and brain cancer, even if you use your device all day long.

The review, published Wednesday in the journal Environmental International, was the result of an 11-person panel of experts from 10 countries who looked at decades of scientific research. The experts reviewed 5,000 studies published between 1994 and 2022, but 63 of them were used in the final analysis.

Because cell phones are often held to the head and emit radio waves, there has long been concern that the devices could cause cancer. But the consensus is that there is no link, a recent review confirms.

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Even users who have been using their cell phones for more than a decade are not at increased risk of cancer, the review found. It also found no links to cancer from cell phone towers.

Experts also looked at studies on children and found no links with an increased risk of leukemia or brain cancer in children exposed to radio or television transmitters or mobile phone towers.

The review is believed to contain the most comprehensive findings on the subject to date and will provide reassurance to many people who regularly use mobile devices for work or other purposes beyond their control.