Cell phones are as carcinogenic as coffee, pickled vegetables, coconut oil and carpentry.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) advisory committee, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), decided that radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) should be classified as a “Group 2B “possible” carcinogenic – in the same group as coffee, pickled vegetables, coconut oil and the carpentry profession, in general. The IARC also noted that exposure to the brain from RF fields from cell phone base stations (mounted on roofs or towers) is less than 1/100th the exposure to the brain from mobile devices such as cell phones, yet it did define exposure to RF fields as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” based on limited evidence of a possible increase in risk for brain tumors among cell phone users. “Given the potential consequences for public health of this classification and findings,” said IARC Director Christopher Wild, “it is important that additional research be conducted into the longterm, heavy use of mobile phones. Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands‐free devices or texting.”

The EPA states that “Exposure to radio frequency (RF) radiation has climbed rapidly with the advent of cell phones and other wireless technologies. Studies of the link between exposure to RF and to electric and magnetic frequency (EMF) radiation have found RF and EMF to be ‘potential carcinogens,’ but the data linking RF and EMF to cancer is not conclusive. World wide, health physicists (scientists who study the biological effects of radiation) continue to study the issue.”

The FCC’s opinion is: “Radiofrequency emissions from antennas used for cellular and PCS [personal communications service] transmissions result in exposure levels on the ground that are typically thousands of times below safety limits.

A 2012 report by the UK-based Mobile Telecommunications Health Research Programme (MTHR), found no substantive link between cellular communications (either towers or mobile devices), and cancer, yet also indicates that further research should be conducted.

However, after thousands of studies, expert organizations maintain that the only proven potentially harmful effects of RF exposure are caused by thermal (heat), and regulators (in most countries) are careful to base exposure limits well within the safety zone. But what about eating too many pickled vegetables?

http://ow.ly/zy867

Ken Schmidt

Recent Posts

Edge Data Centers at Tower Sites: The High Bar and the Real Opportunity

Over the last decade, we’ve heard plenty of talk about how cell tower sites would…

2 months ago

Dish Network’s Wireless Exit Strategy and Its Impact on Lease Valuation

For the past several years, Dish Network’s entry into the wireless carrier business has been…

3 months ago

Why Lease Buyout Companies Buy Cell Tower Leases

By Ken Schmidt | Steel in the Air One of the most frequent questions we…

6 months ago

Is Verizon Selling Towers?

Recent news reports have confirmed that Verizon has engaged a third-party advisor to evaluate the…

1 year ago

US Cellular Possible Acquisition by T-Mobile or Verizon

Impact of T-Mobile and Verizon's Potential Acquisition of U.S. Cellular on Cell Tower Landowners and…

1 year ago

Is the Rivalry Intensifying Among Major Tower Companies? A Look at Recent Events Suggests It Might Be.

In a telling shift, AT&T recently relocated a cell site from an American Tower Corp.…

1 year ago