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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Study of Cellphone Risks Finds 'Some Evidence' of Link to Cancer, at Least in Male Rats [nytimes.com]

For decades, health experts have struggled to determine whether or not cellphones can cause cancer. On Thursday, a federal agency released the final results of what experts call the world's largest and most costly experiment [nih.gov] to look into the question. The study originated in the Clinton administration, cost $30 million and involved some 3,000 rodents.

The experiment, by the National Toxicology Program, found positive but relatively modest evidence that radio waves from some types of cellphones could raise the risk that male rats develop brain cancer. "We believe that the link between radio-frequency radiation and tumors in male rats is real," John Bucher, a senior scientist at the National Toxicology Program, said in a statement.

But he cautioned that the exposure levels and durations were far greater than what people typically encounter, and thus cannot "be compared directly to the exposure that humans experience." Moreover, the rat study examined the effects of a radio frequency associated with an early generation of cellphone technology, one that fell out of routine use years ago. Any concerns arising from the study thus would seem to apply mainly to early adopters who used those bygone devices, not to users of current models.

[...] The rats were exposed to radiation at a frequency of 900 megahertz — typical of the second generation of cellphones that prevailed in the 1990s, when the study was first conceived. Current cellphones represent a fourth generation, known as 4G, and 5G phones are expected to debut around 2020. They employ much higher frequencies, and these radio waves are far less successful at penetrating the bodies of humans and rats, scientists say [whiterose.ac.uk].

Previously: Major Cell Phone Radiation Study Reignites Cancer Questions [soylentnews.org]
First Clear Evidence Cell Phone Radiation Can Cause Cancer In Rats [soylentnews.org]

Related: Dim-Bulb Politician Wants Warning on Cell Phones [soylentnews.org]
California Issues Warning Over Cellphones; Study Links Non-Ionizing Radiation to Miscarriage [soylentnews.org]
Mill Valley, California Blocks 5G Over Health Concerns [soylentnews.org]

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