Cell phone radiation linked to cancer in rats in first-ever large government-funded study

Cell phone radiation could pose a risk of certain cancers to some, the preliminary findings of two new major studies from the National Institutes Health suggest. Six percent of male rats exposed to the same kind of radiation our cell phones emit - though in much larger quantities - developed a type of cancer called a schwannoma in their hearts. The pair of studies are the largest the National Toxicology Program has ever conducted about the carcinogenic effects of cell phone radiation.

The authors caution that while much more research is needed to find out whether or not the ways that average people use cell phones could raise cancer risks, the findings highlight an 'area of concern'. In 2016 the NIH scientists released preliminary data warning that it seemed there was a possible link between cell phone radiation and cancer. Smartphones and other wireless devices put out small amounts of low frequency microwave radiation when they connect networks and transmit information. This energy is not nearly as strong as ultraviolet radiation or X-ray energy, but the new studies add to the mounting evidence that even microwave radiation can pose some health risks.

The researchers exposed rats and mice to high levels of radiation. Radiation surges when cell phones are trying to connect to faint network signals or transmit large amounts of information.

Experts warn that it is these inconsistent exposures that make the devices particularly risky.