Cellphone health risks are focus of new government study: 'Very concerned'

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a study on whether radiation from cellphones could harm Americans' health.

"The FDA removed web pages with old conclusions about cellphone radiation while HHS undertakes a study on electromagnetic radiation and health research to identify gaps in knowledge, including on new technologies, to ensure safety and efficacy," HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The study is part of a strategy report released last year by President Donald Trump’s MAHA Commission, Nixon added.

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The report urges officials to address electromagnetic radiation (EMR) exposure stemming from the widespread use of cellphones, Wi-Fi routers, cell towers and wearable, such as smartwatches.

In 2018, the National Institutes of Health did a study concluding there is "clear evidence" that high exposure to radio frequency radiation (RFR) was associated with cancer in male rats.

"In our studies, rats and mice received RFR across their whole bodies. By contrast, people are mostly exposed in specific local tissues close to where they hold the phone," said senior scientist John Bucher at the time.

Bucher added, "The exposure levels and durations in our studies were greater than what people experience."

The study did not investigate the RFR that is used for Wi-Fi or 5G networks.

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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told USA TODAY on Friday that "electromagnetic radiation is a major health concern," adding that he is "very concerned about it."

A spokesperson for CTIA, the mobile carrier industry trade group, told Fox News Digital there is no credible evidence linking wireless devices to health problems.

"Radiofrequency energy from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, mobile phones and wireless infrastructure has not been shown to cause health problems, according to the consensus of the international scientific community and independent expert organizations around the world," said the spokesperson.

The World Health Organization has noted on its website that research shows "no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies."

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In the U.S., cellphones must comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limits on radiofrequency (RF) exposure.

The FCC uses a metric called specific absorption rate (SAR), which tracks how much RF energy the body absorbs. To be sold in the U.S., mobile phones and similar wireless devices must be tested and certified to ensure that they do not exceed 1.6 W/kg (watts per kilogram), averaging over 1 gram of tissue.

The FCC states on its website that there is "no scientific evidence currently establishing a definitive link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses."

However, the agency does share ways that Americans can reduce exposure — such as shortening the amount of time spent on wireless devices, putting a phone on speaker or using an earpiece "to reduce proximity to the head and thus head exposure."

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The FCC also recommends increasing the distance between wireless devices and the body, and texting instead of talking when possible.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS and NIH for additional comment, as well as several major cellphone carriers.