WASHINGTON, Jan 17, 2026, 02:58 EST
- HHS says it will launch a study on cellphone radiation after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressed the agency to revisit safety questions
- The FDA has removed older webpages that said phones were not dangerous, an HHS spokesman said
- Health agencies have long said there is no credible evidence linking cellphone radiation to cancer, though research continues
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will launch a study on cellphone radiation after Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pushed to revisit whether wireless devices pose risks such as neurological damage and cancer, an agency spokesman said. (Reuters)
The move matters because it signals a shift in federal messaging on a technology most Americans use daily, and it could reopen regulatory fights over exposure limits and consumer warnings.
It also lands as states and school districts look for ways to curb phone use by children, and as the White House leans on a “Make America Healthy Again” agenda that is reshaping public health priorities.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the FDA pulled webpages with “old conclusions” while the department begins a broader look at “electromagnetic radiation and health research” to “identify gaps in knowledge,” including around newer technologies.
“The study was directed by President Trump’s MAHA Commission in its strategy report,” Nixon added.
Some federal health sites still say evidence has not backed a link between phone use and disease. The National Cancer Institute says evidence to date suggests cellphone use does not cause brain or other cancers in humans.
Kennedy, in an interview with USA Today, called electromagnetic radiation “a major health concern” and said he was “very concerned” when asked about 5G towers, according to an excerpt of the report. (Muck Rack)
Scientists who study the issue say the evidence is uneven, and that arguments over radiofrequency exposure have cycled for years. “It’s a ‘complex subject,’” Kenneth Foster, a professor emeritus of bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, told Scientific American. (Scientific American)
Radiofrequency waves — the low-energy radiation used to carry wireless signals — have been studied for decades. In 2011, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency classified radiofrequency waves as “possibly carcinogenic,” but it has not identified a causal link, and research in people has produced mixed results.
Foster also pointed to a more immediate downside that has little to do with cancer. “[There] seems to be stronger evidence for cognitive effects from using cell phones and excessive use of screens,” he said, adding: “Also don’t text while driving!”
But the new study could still cut in different directions. If the research design is narrow or the results are murky, it may add more heat than clarity — and fuel public fear about 5G and other wireless tech without changing the underlying science.
HHS has not released details on the scope, timing or who will run the work. Nixon said the point is to map what is known, flag what is missing and test whether newer wireless systems change the risk picture.
