National Toxicology Program Fact Sheet
The National Toxicology Program
announced this month through an updated fact sheet that it no longer plans to study the effects of cell phone or radio frequency radiation (RFR) due to technical challenges and lack of resources.
The NTP, the only Federal agency in the US to study the effects of RFR since the 1990s (after the Congress cut off the EPA's funding for this research), updated its cell phone radiation fact sheet this month to announce that it lacks the resources to continue to study the effects of radio frequency radiation:
The NTP no longer plans to study cell phone radiation despite the fact that their 2018 study found "clear evidence" (the highest category) of carcinogenicity in male rats from exposure to cell phone radiation in what is arguably the strongest toxicology study ever conducted on this environmental toxin.
Evidence of increased risk of cancer and nonmalignant tumors from RFR exposure has been found in two other major toxicology studies and in numerous case-control studies with humans (see related posts cited below).
The November 2018 version of this NTP fact sheet promised future studies:
The November 2018 version of the NTP cell phone radiation fact sheet can be downloaded here: https://bit.ly/NTPfactsheet2018
Head and neck tumors associated with cell phone use have increased in the U.S. since 2000
Since the year 2000, the U.S. has experienced significant increases in the age-adjusted incidence rates of four head and neck tumors associated with cell phone use, including the most serious malignant brain tumor (glioblastoma), a non-malignant tumor on the outer covering of the brain (meningioma) and cancers of the salivary and thyroid glands. Among youth less than 20 years of age, nonmalignant meningioma and thyroid cancer significantly increased.
Whereas
the size of the population in the U.S. increased 16% between 2000 and
2019, the number of cases reported in the
National Cancer Institute's SEER 22 registry for
these four tumors had a greater increase: a 53% increase for
glioblastoma, 124% for non-malignant meningioma, 52% for salivary gland cancer, and
132% for thyroid
cancer.
The increase in age-adjusted incidence rates for these four tumors is likely attributable to the chronic effects of mobile phone use in addition to other factors including improvements in screening.
The tumor incidence rate data below are from the SEER 22 Registry which covers 48% of the total U.S. population. The data were age-adjusted to the population in the year 2000 so observed differences over time are not affected by changes in the age composition of the population.
Glioblastoma
In the U.S., although the age-adjusted incidence rate of all brain and nervous system cancers significantly decreased
by 0.4% per year from 2009 to 2019, the incidence of glioblastoma significantly increased overall by 1.2% per year from 2000 to 2004.
Moreover, from 2000 to 2019, glioblastoma incidence increased significantly in three age groups--by 2.3% per year for children less than 15 years of age, by 1.3% per year for young adults 15 to 39 years of age, and by 0.3% per year for adults 65 to 74 years of age.
Among adults 75 and older, glioblastoma significantly increased by 1.3% per year from 2000-2009.
Nonmalignant Meningioma
In the U.S. nonmalignant meningioma is the most common brain tumor. The incidence of this tumor was not reported to the SEER registry prior to 2004.
The overall age-adjusted incidence of nonmalignant meningioma of the brain and nervous system significantly increased
70% in the U.S. from 2004 (6.46 per 100,000) to 2019 (11.01 per 100,000). From 2004 to 2008, the increase was 12.3% per year, and from 2008 to 2019, the increase was 2.1% per year.
Among youth less than 20 years of age
the incidence of nonmalignant meningioma significantly increased by 2.8% per year from 2004 to 2019.
Salivary Gland Cancer
The
age-adjusted incidence rate of salivary gland cancer significantly increased overall in the U.S. by 0.6% per year
from 2000 to
2019.
Thyroid Cancer
The
age-adjusted incidence rate of thyroid cancer significantly increased overall in the U.S. from 2000 to
2009 by 7.1% per year and from 2009 to 2014 by 2.3% per year.
Among youth less than 20 years of age thyroid cancer incidence significantly increased by 4.5% per year from 2000 to 2019.
Reference: SEER*Explorer: An interactive website for SEER cancer statistics
[Internet]. Surveillance Research Program, National Cancer Institute;
2023 Apr 19. [updated: 2023 Nov 16; cited 2024 Jan 9]. Available from: https://seer.cancer.gov/
Related Posts
NTP Cell Phone Radiation Study: Final Reports
NTP: Not the First Govt. Study to Find Wireless Radiation Can Cause Cancer in Lab Rats
Ramazzini Institute Cell Phone Radiation Study Replicates NTP Study
Ramazzini Institute Cell Phone Radiation Study Replicates NTP Study
Brain Tumor Rates Are Rising in the US: The Role of Cellphone & Cordless Phone Use
Trends in Brain Tumor Incidence Outside the U.S.
The Incidence of Meningioma, a Non-Malignant Brain Tumor, is Increasing in the U.S.
Trends in Brain Tumor Incidence Outside the U.S.
The Incidence of Meningioma, a Non-Malignant Brain Tumor, is Increasing in the U.S.
