US health department to launch study on cellphone radiation

Jan 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will launch a study on cellphone radiation, a department spokesman said on Thursday, building on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s criticism linking them to neurological damage and cancer.

Last year, the department said 22 states had restricted cellphone use in schools to improve the mental and physical health of children under the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also took down old webpages saying cellphones are not dangerous.

“The FDA removed webpages with old conclusions about cell phone 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,” said HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon.

“The study was directed by President Trump’s MAHA Commission in its strategy report,” Nixon added.

However, some webpages of agencies such as the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to say that to date there is no credible evidence pointing to health problems from cellphone radiation.

The National Cancer Institute, under the National Institutes of Health, says “evidence to date suggests that cellphone use does not cause brain or other kinds of cancer in humans.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the HHS study on Thursday.

(Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)