The Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSM) has released its 6th report on EMF and health. The Independent Expert Group (IEG) on Electromagnetic Fields has reviewed the scientific literature since its last report and found no new positive findings from well-established cellular studies nor any clear effects in new animal studies.

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Report conclusions

Cancer and mobile phones
Overall the studies published to date do not demonstrate an increased risk of cancer related to mobile phone use within approximately ten years of use for any tumour of the brain or any other head tumour. Despite the methodological shortcomings and the limited data on long latency and long-term use, the available evidence does not suggest a causal association between mobile phone use and fast-growing tumours such as malignant glioma in adults (at least for tumours with short induction periods).

For slow-growing tumours such as meningioma and acoustic neuroma, as well as for glioma among long term users, the absence of association reported thus far is less conclusive because the observation period has been too short. This is consistent with results from animal and cellular research, which does not indicate that exposure of the type that is generated by mobile telephony, might be implicated in the origin or development of cancer. Long-term animal data on balance do not indicate any carcinogenic effect.

Cancer and transmitters
The majority of studies on cancer among people who are exposed to RF from radio- or TV- transmitters or from mobile phone base stations have relied on too crude proxies for exposure to provide meaningful results. Indeed, only two studies, both on childhood leukaemia, have used models to assess individual exposure and both of those provide evidence against an association. One cannot conclusively exclude the possibility of an increased cancer risk in people exposed to RF from transmitters based on these results.

However, these results in combination with the negative animal data and very low exposure from transmitters make it highly unlikely that living in the vicinity of a transmitter implicates an increased risk of cancer.

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
While the symptoms experienced by patients with perceived electromagnetic hypersensitivity are very real and some subjects suffer severely, there is no evidence that RF exposure is a causal factor.