smartphones increase risk of cancer

Question

There is no doubt that there are downsides and negative effects to mass amounts of time spent looking at our smartphones. Living in a world in which everyone is consumed by their smartphone, I decided to take a dive into the claim that smartphones cause increased risk of cancer. Here is what I found...

The American Cancer Institute performed a study and found that cell phones ranging from 2G-5G emit radio frequencies between 0.7-80 GHz, while this is a widespread range, and 5G phones that emit up to 80 GHz being an astronomical amount higher than 2G-4G phones. It was found that the frequencies emitted by smartphones is too low to damage DNA. This helps us conclude that while there are definitely negative effects to spending too much time on our smartphones, they are not a factor that increases risk of cancer.

Answer 1

The claim being explored here is that smartphones increase risk of cancer. As explained in the source provided above, though the radio frequencies are still quite high, the frequencies emitted by smartphones are too low to actually damage DNA, which could lead to cancer. Additional research continues to support this. In an article published by the FDA, the National Cancer Institute shares that "there is currently no consistent evidence that non-ionizing radiation increases cancer risk in humans. The only consistently recognized biological effect of radiofrequency radiation in humans is heating". Many highly accredited institutions or organizations also support this research, such as Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and National Institutes of Health. The American Cancer Society listed the many factors that can affect the amount of energy from RF waves that a person is exposed to. These include: the amount of time the person is on the phone, whether the person is holding the phone close to the head, the distance and path to the nearest cell phone tower, the amount of cell phone traffic in the area at the time, and the model of phone being used. But, there is still no scientific evidence linking cell phone usage and RF exposure to cancer. It seems like the explanation above ends by disproving it's own claim, saying that "while there are definitely negative effects to spending too much time on our smartphones, they are not a factor that increases risk of cancer". This has proven to be true based on the research provided in both answers, so in conclusion, the claim that smartphones increase risk of cancer is false. 

Comments

Your analysis is very efficient and concise and you included numerous credible sources such as the FDA, NIH, The American Cancer Society, etc. This analysis also debunks the myth that smartphones increase the risk of cancer. It is essential to rely on scientific studies and evidence which consistently indicates there is no conclusive link between smartphones and the increase in cancer. Misinformation can instill fear in people so it is essential to provide scientific evidence before making a claim. You did a great job!

Answer 2

This statement is true " smartphones increase risk of cancer". I looked at the link and saw it was (.gov) which is funded by the government. When you first open the article it shows you the topics they talk about of (Cell Phones and Cancer Risk). Looking through I feel like there should have shown more data than just answering questions.

I conducted my own research on a different website and found: https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/cell-phones/radio-frequency-radiation-and-cell-phones

It shows more in detail how smartphones increase the risk of cancer and different aspects that good into it. It also lead me to the website that was used. In conclusion, knowing that it's a government owned website and looking at the data provided it does in fact increase risk of cancer. 

Answer 3

Cell phones do not increase the risk of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, "Cell phones send signals to (and receive them from) nearby cell towers (base stations) using RF waves. This is a form of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum that falls between FM radio waves and microwaves. Like FM radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and heat, RF waves are a form of non-ionizing radiation. They don’t have enough energy to cause cancer".  Cell phones do not cause cancer because the radiation they emit is too weak. 

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/radiation-exposure/cellular-phones.html

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths/do-mobile-phones-cause-cancer#:~:text=No.,waves%20from%20phones%20are%20dangerous.