Government Halts $30 Million Research Project on Wireless Radiation
In a striking turn of events, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) has abruptly discontinued its lengthy, multimillion-dollar investigation into the health effects of wireless radiation exposure, just as promising findings emerged. The study, conducted over a ten-year period and costing nearly $30 million, revealed clear evidence of malignant tumors and DNA damage linked to cellphone radiation.
According to John Bucher, Ph.D., a former senior scientist at NTP, politics, a lack of regulatory interest, and strategic amnesia played a role in the decision to suspend the research. The complexities surrounding the wireless radiation research landscape complicate matters, as contradictory findings and industry influence often overshadow scientific findings.
In the NTP's 2018 study, researchers exposed rats to 2G and 3G cellphone radiation over a two-year period, discovering clear evidence of malignant heart tumors in male rats, some evidence of malignant brain tumors, and some evidence of adrenal gland tumors. Additionally, DNA damage was observed in the brain, blood, and liver. Bucher, the former associate director of the program, oversaw the study and co-authored a subsequent genetic analysis in 2019, further strengthening the link between wireless radiation exposure and DNA damage.
Despite examining outdated 2G and 3G technology, these findings carry significance, as the same frequency bands are used in modern 4G and 5G networks, albeit at higher intensities. The implications for devices we use daily are profound, extending beyond flip phones.
As we advance from 2G to 5G, there is a massive increase in bandwidth and a corresponding decrease in wave length. This necessitates the placement of towers and antennas every couple hundred feet, significantly boosting exposure levels. The concern lies in the limited scope of long-term studies on EMF exposure, which are still based on 1G, 2G, and 3G technology and frequencies in the 900 megahertz range. These studies already showed negative effects on children, bees, and the formation of tumors. Now, however, we've transitioned to frequencies as high as 300 gigahertz-an exponential increase in exposure that remains understudied due to a lack of long-term safety studies on these higher frequencies.
The NTP study found biological effects at frequencies far lower than what 5G operates on, raising concerns about the potential risks associated with the unchecked rollout of 5G infrastructure. If even lower frequencies were linked to cancer and DNA damage, the decision to discontinue research on higher, more intense frequencies is not only reckless but also a complete abandonment of public health responsibility.
The NTP announced in 2024 that it would stop all follow-up research, citing technical challenges, resource constraints, and a general lack of interest from regulatory agencies. In an interview, Bucher admitted that he would have fought harder to continue the studies given the opportunity but acknowledged that the decision may not have been altered even with his influence.
Regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), have shown little concern for the NTP's findings. The FDA dismissed the study in 2018 and later released a literature review that criticized the study, while the FCC has not updated its wireless radiation exposure guidelines since 1996.
Industry movements often overshadow scientific developments, as the telecom industry does not halt its progress for safety studies. By the time the NTP study concluded, we had entered the 5G era. Bucher acknowledges that studies would only remain relevant for a short period before the industry moved on to newer technologies.
The Children's Health Defense (CHD) filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to determine why the government halted its research, receiving only a limited number of emails and having vast portions of their requests redacted. The secrecy surrounding this decision raises questions about transparency and accountability.
Devra Davis, Ph.D., MPH, argues that the abrupt halt of wireless radiation research is "the ultimate arrogance and folly" given the mounting evidence of harm. In February 2023, she and her colleagues published a review of 200+ studies linking wireless radiation to oxidative stress, cardiomyopathy, sperm damage, memory loss, and other neurological effects.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been an outspoken advocate for wireless radiation safety, arguing that the telecommunications industry has engaged in tactics similar to those employed by Big Tobacco in the past, discrediting independent studies that expose health risks. He points to a lack of government oversight and corporate influence over regulatory bodies like the FCC as contributing factors to an unchecked environment where public health is secondary to corporate profits.
In 2019, the FCC reaffirmed its outdated 1996 RF exposure guidelines, dismissing concerns that emerging scientific evidence warranted a review. The public has long been assured that wireless technology is completely safe, while concerns over 5G have been downplayed as "conspiracy theories."
Rising concerns about 5G have prompted a legal battle led by RFK Jr., the FCC, and environmental health organizations such as the Children's Health Defense (CHD) and Environmental Health Trust (EHT). In August 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in favor of CHD, mandating that the FCC re-evaluate its guidelines due to the agency's arbitrary and capricious dismissal of non-cancer health risks, including environmental effects and the impact on vulnerable populations such as children.
Despite this clear legal mandate, the FCC has failed to act, prompting CHD to file a 2023 petition demanding compliance. The petition urges the agency to conduct a thorough review of RF radiation risks, incorporating the latest scientific research, and providing a transparent and science-based justification for its guidelines.
With the ongoing legal battle and the rapid expansion of 5G infrastructure, questions about public health, wireless safety, and regulatory accountability remain unanswered.
As the fight over wireless radiation safety continues, companies like Aires are stepping in to provide cutting-edge EMF protection solutions. Aires' technology aims to modulate electromagnetic fields, reducing the biological impact of wireless radiation on the body by changing the waveform to match our biological electromagnetic nature.backed by nearly three decades of research, clinical trials, and rigorous testing, Aires remains the only company with proven EMF protection.
The abrupt discontinuation of the National Toxicology Program's (NTP) research into the health effects of wireless radiation exposure, despite promising findings, raises concerns about the interplay between scientific discoveries in health-and-wellness, such as linking cellphone radiation to malignant tumors and DNA damage, and politics, technology, and industry influence. For instance, as the telecom industry progresses to 5G technology, advancements in medical-conditions research highlight the need to assess the potential risks associated with this technology, as the same frequency bands used in 4G and 5G networks are linked to negative health effects in older technologies. With the ongoing legal battle and the rapid expansion of 5G infrastructure, solutions provided by companies like Aires, which offer EMF protection technology backed by three decades of research, clinical trials, and rigorous testing, hold significance in addressing public health concerns in the realm of health-and-wellness and technology.
