RF Radiation & Brain Cancer Risk: New Study Finds No Link | ARPANSA Research

MELBOURNE, March 25 (Xinhua) — A modern study has found no evidence that occupational exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic energy (EME) increases the risk of brain cancer, according to findings released Wednesday by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).

The research, conducted by an international team of Australian and European scientists, analyzed 467 cases of brain cancer and assessed the participants’ exposure to RF EME during their working lives. The study focused on individuals employed in industries such as manufacturing, transport, medical services, construction, and communications.

Researchers utilized data from two exposure assessment databases, encompassing a total of 468 occupations, to estimate the levels of RF EME exposure experienced by participants throughout their careers. The findings, published in the BMJ Open journal, indicate no increased risk of brain cancer was observed, even among those with elevated exposure levels from frequent employ of handheld radios or plastic welding.

“When examining participants’ entire work histories, including some who had elevated exposures from frequently using handheld radios or doing plastic welding, we found that there was no increased risk of brain cancer from RF EME exposure,” said Rohan Mate, a PhD student at Monash University and ARPANSA, who led the study.

Associate Professor Ken Karipidis, from ARPANSA, who co-authored and supervised the study, stated the results should provide reassurance to workers with higher occupational RF EME exposure than the general population. He also noted the research represents a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the available evidence, building upon previous work by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2011, which classified radio wave exposure as a possible carcinogen based on limited data.

According to ARPANSA, scientists at the agency contributed to a recent international report confirming that natural sources continue to be the primary contributor to global population exposure to ionizing radiation. The current study on RF EME exposure builds on this body of research, focusing on non-ionizing radiation.

The study was also led by experts from Australia’s primary radiation protection authority, and is slated for publication in the journal Environment International, according to a report from the Medical Republic. The findings align with a separate study released earlier this month, which also found no association between occupational exposure to radio waves and brain cancer, as reported by SciMex.