Letter to Prevention Magazine on Cell Phone Cancer Article
On September 24, 2025, Dr. Joel Moskowitz of the ICBE-EMF submitted a letter to Prevention Magazine regarding its article “Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer? Experts Explain the Latest Science.” The article suggested that cell phone use does not increase cancer risk, a claim that ICBE-EMF argues is misleading and not supported by the full body of scientific evidence.
Letter to Prevention Magazine
I’m writing to voice my concern about the article “Do Cell Phones Cause Cancer? Experts Explain the Latest Science,” published on September 18, 2025, which suggests that cell phone use doesn’t increase cancer risk. This statement is misleading.
Recent research, including a Letter to the Editor published in the journal Environment International by the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF), indicates that a recent World Health Organization (WHO) review on this topic is scientifically flawed (Frank et al., 2024). The ICBE-EMF, a group of experts on the health effects of wireless radiation, found that the review by Karipidis et al. (2024) doesn’t reliably assess the risk of brain cancer from cell phone use.
There is substantial evidence linking cell phone use to an increased risk of brain tumors. For instance, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified wireless radiation as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” in 2013, citing several case-control studies that found an increased incidence of brain tumors in mobile phone users (Interphone 2010, 2011; Hardell et al., 2013). This risk seems to increase with more frequent use, with studies showing a higher risk of tumors after 800 to 1,000 hours of call time (e.g., Choi et al., 2020; Moon et al., 2024).
Further cause for concern is the rise in brain tumor rates. In the U.S., the incidence of nonmalignant meningioma has increased by 77% from 2004 to 2022. Other countries have also seen significant increases in glioblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer. Finally, a separate WHO systematic review (Mevissen et al., 2025) concluded with “high certainty” that cell phone radiation caused cancer in animal models, affecting the same types of cells that are found in human brain tumors.
Given this evidence, it’s crucial that we have a more balanced discussion about the potential risks of cell phone use. I urge Prevention magazine to provide a more accurate and complete picture of the current scientific findings.
Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D.
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF)
ICBE-EMF urges media outlets to present balanced reporting on the health effects of cell phone radiation.
Learn more about our research on wireless exposure risks here.
Want to reduce your exposure to cell phones? See ICBE-EMF’s recommendations here.