New Review Study finds that Radiofrequency Radiation from Cellphones and Computers Increases  Breast Cancer Risk

A systematic review and meta-analysis supported by the Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology investigated the association between exposure to radiofrequency radiation and the risk of breast cancer and found a significant association between radiofrequency radiation exposure and breast cancer risk.

“It was concluded that radiofrequency radiation exposure significantly increased the risk of breast cancer, especially in women aged ≥50 years and in individuals who used electric appliances, such as mobile phones and computers.” While  breast cancer risk doubled for women ≥50 yrs old, no significant increase was seen among younger women, nor among those occupational exposed or those living near RF transmitters.  

“Doctors worldwide recommend keeping the phone away from your head and away from your body in order to decrease cancer risk. We recommend preferring  wired rather than wireless internet connections and using a corded phone for your long voice calls, ” stated Dr. Devra Davis President of Environmental Health Trust who added that while many teens no longer place the phone to their head, they videochat and check social media with the phone held next to their breast. Case studies have found women who carry cell phones in their bra developed breast cancer directly under the cell phone antenna.

The 2020 study cited how cell phone radiation might lead to cancer:

“Previous studies suggested that breast cancer can be attributed to exposure to radiofrequency radiation (,). Experimental research has demonstrated that simulated radiofrequency radiation exposure can cause damage to human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and promote the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are the primary cause of DNA strand breaks and cell death (,). Cigand Naziroglu () indicated that exposure of breast cancer cells to radiofrequency radiation was associated with the accumulation of ROS and disruption of mitochondrial membrane pores, which resulted in swelling and dysfunction of mitochondria, causing rupture of the outer membranes and the release of apoptosis-inducing factors. Therefore, it was hypothesized that exposure to radiofrequency radiation may induce breast cancer development due to the induction of oxidative stress and apoptosis in breast cancer cells.”

The authors conclude that ” the present study indicated that radiofrequency radiation exposure significantly increased the risk of breast cancer, especially in women aged ≥50 years and individuals who used electric appliances, such as mobile phones and computers, ” and that “additional research studies should be conducted, and higher-quality studies are required for future analysis.”

Abstract

The present systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the association between exposure to radiofrequency radiation and the risk of breast cancer. The published studies that were available in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, Airiti Library, Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations and ProQuest until May 2020 were investigated. A total of eight studies (four case-control and four cohort studies) were eligible for quantitative analysis. A significant association between radiofrequency radiation exposure and breast cancer risk was detected [pooled relative risk (RR)=1.189; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.056-1.339]. Subgroup analyses indicated that radiofrequency radiation exposure significantly increased the risk of breast cancer susceptibility among subjects aged ≥50 years (RR=2.179; 95% CI, 1.260-3.770). Pooled estimates revealed that the use of electrical appliances, which emit radiofrequency radiation, such as mobile phones and computers, significantly increased breast cancer development (RR=2.057; 95% CI, 1.272-3.327), while occupational radiofrequency exposure and transmitters did not increase breast cancer development (RR=1.274; 95% CI, 0.956-1.697; RR=1.133; 95% CI, 0.987-1.300, respectively). It was concluded that radiofrequency radiation exposure significantly increased the risk of breast cancer, especially in women aged ≥50 years and in individuals who used electric appliances, such as mobile phones and computers. In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis, an evaluation protocol was prepared and registered with the PROSPERO database (registration no. CRD42018087283).

Shih YW, O’Brien AP, Hung CS, Chen KH, Hou WH, Tsai HT. Exposure to radiofrequency radiation increases the risk of breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Exp Ther Med. 2021;21(1):23. doi:10.3892/etm.2020.9455

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Excerpts

“The current study indicated that there was a significant association between exposure to radiofrequencies and breast cancer risk (pooled RR=1.189; 95% CI, 1.056-1.339). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis that combined studies on radiofrequency to determine an association with the risk of breast cancer. The biological mechanism via which radiofrequency radiation exposure increases the breast cancer risk may be associated with the fact that exposure to radiofrequency radiation has been revealed to result in mammary cell damage and ROS formation (), which are the primary causes of DNA strand breaks that result in cell death (,,). Although it has been indicated that non-ionizing radiation exhibits in sufficient energy to cause DNA strand breaks, the primary cause of DNA strand breaks is considered to be a by-product of ROS metabolism and not high-energy radiation (). A number of in vitro studies have demonstrated an association between radiofrequency exposure and ROS production, resulting in DNA single- and double-strand breaks ().”

https://ehtrust.org/new-review-study-finds-cell-phone-radiation-increases-breast-cancer-risk/ Source: Environmental Health Trust