Reader's comment on the Schlatter Motion published by the Tribune de Genève

Reader's comment on the Schlatter Motion published by the Tribune de Genève

tdg.ch, 6 June 2025

Health of the Population

The association Doctors for the Environment recently cited a scientific study that compiled numerous animal experiments. In rats, the level of certainty was deemed high that exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitted by wireless devices increases the risk of two types of cancer: gliomas and schwannomas.

The Confederation says the situation is under control. No, it is not. On May 7, 2025, the National Council rejected a motion (130 votes to 62, with 8 absent or not voting) calling for the establishment of market surveillance to monitor compliance with legal cell phone radiation limits and protect users' health. Although the Confederation earned 1.4 billion Swiss francs from the sale of 4G and 5G frequencies to operators Swisscom, Sunrise, and Salt between 2012 and 2024, Federal Councilor Baume-Schneider recommended rejecting this motion, considering the implementation of such surveillance to be demanding in terms of financial and human resources.

Meanwhile, more and more users are being exposed to potentially harmful RF radiation emitted by cell phones, and rates of serious cancers such as glioblastoma are increasing among young people.

Increase in brain tumors among young people – yet Switzerland is not monitoring the mobile communications market for financial reasons

Increase in brain tumors among young people

A study shows that the number of brain tumors among young people in France has risen significantly in recent years. Experts suspect that the increasing levels of mobile phone radiation are the cause.

by Andreas Gossweiler, gesundheitstipp.ch/, 13 May 2025, Updated 26 May 2025

(posted by Verein Schutz vor Strahlung on its Facebook page, 29 May  2025 - DeepL translation)

(Photo): Young people on their cell phones: Mobile phone radiation is a risk factor for cancer (Image: iStock)

Since the year 2000, the number of malignant brain tumors in young people between the ages of 15 and 39 has more than doubled in France. This is shown by a recent study by the French health authority. While other types of cancer, such as leukemia and breast cancer, have remained constant, the increase in brain tumors is striking. The researchers explicitly cite non-ionizing radiation—i.e., mobile phone radiation—as a possible risk factor. For many experts, it is clear that the increasing use of cell phones and constant exposure to radio sources such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth could have a significant impact on health.

United States: Missouri congressman seeks help from RFK Jr on cancer cases at Kansas-City area school

Excellent article from The Kansas City Star on an intervention by Ellie Marks, founder of the California Brain Rumor Association, relating to mobile phone antennas and a cancer cluster. Mrs. Marks recently joined the Board of the Phonegate Alert Association.  We thank her for her intervention.

Missouri congressman seeks help from RFK Jr on cancer cases at KC-area school
By Laura Bauer, kansascity.com, updated May 15, 2025

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves has asked the Department of Health and Human Services to help investigate cancer cases at a Liberty elementary school where, in recent years, multiple teachers have faced cancer diagnoses.

(Photo): Warren Hills Elementary School in Liberty. A cellular antenna stands very close to the school building. Monty Davis madavis@kcstar.com

In a letter this week to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Graves said that parents, teachers and staff at Warren Hills Elementary are looking for answers after at least six teachers have been diagnosed with cancer in recent years. The Republican congressman who represents northern Missouri, including Liberty, asked for Kennedy’s help in “uncovering the root causes” of the “concerning” number of cases. 

“That’s an unbelievable and unimaginable amount of tragedy for an elementary school with fewer than 650 students and 40 teachers to experience over such a short time,” Graves wrote. “The teachers, parents and staff at Warren Hills Elementary School need some answers as to why so many of their friends, colleagues and loved ones are being diagnosed with cancer. 

20 Minutes corrects on the sly its article on glioblastoma

Phonegate Alert, 3 April 2025 -"20 Miniutes" France: demanding reliable information -

20 Minutes [France] corrects on the sly its article on glioblastoma
By : Phonegate Team • 2 Apr 2025

Thanks to Phonegate Alert’s intervention, an initial correction was made to the 20 Minutes article on glioblastomas. We would like to thank the Quebec journalist André Fauteux, who did not hesitate to question the press departments of Santé Publique France (SPF) and the Institut National du Cancer (INCa). However, several major problems remain in the writing of the article, requiring immediate action to re-establish the scientific truth.

INCa’s “imprecise” response

“The only inaccuracy we note in the article concerns the sentence below: “However, the disease remains ‘fairly rare’ in the general population, i.e. 20% of the nearly 5,900 cancers of the central nervous system diagnosed per year according to INCa, and even more so in young people.” This should read “However, the disease remains ‘fairly rare’ in the general population of adolescents and young adults, accounting for 20% of the nearly 5,900 central nervous system cancers diagnosed per year according to INCa”.”

Continue reading:
https://phonegatealert.org/en/20-minutes-corrects-on-the-sly-its-article-on-glioblastoma/

Smartphone and Illness - Commentary

"Smartphone and illness"

Letter of the Day by Meris Michaels published by the Tribune de Genève 2 April 2025 - translation

It is time to consider the potential link between regularly carrying a cell phone in one's trouser pocket and the rising incidence of colorectal cancer in young adults.

A recent study conducted in Chile (De Kun Li et al) concluded that people carrying a cell phone below the waist were four times more likely to develop tumors. According to the study abstract, “young people have been shown to carry their cell phones in their trouser pockets for several hours a day, resulting in significant exposure to radiofrequency radiation in the colorectal region. Intestinal epithelial cells are among the most sensitive tissue cells to radiation exposure”.

Cell phone user manuals advise against carrying a phone on the abdomen, particularly for pregnant women, due to the risk of radiation exposure. Cell phone users, especially young adults, are advised to take precautions to limit their exposure: by using speaker mode or wired earphones, and by avoiding carrying their phone directly on their body.

Article published by the Tribune de Genève related to this commentary:

"Colorectal cancer is unexplainably increasing among "young people" :

Excerpt: This is worrying because, at present, there is no explanation for this early onset. "The risk factors are probably the same as for the older population, namely a combination of non-modifiable causes – including genetics – but above all an increase in modifiable factors – tobacco, alcohol, red meat, a sedentary lifestyle, excess weight, etc. What we don't understand is what this patient was exposed to differently compared to the previous generation."

See also article by Phonegate Alert:
"Increase in colorectal cancer among young people: the role of smartphones"

Glioblastomas: we ask 20 Minutes to correct its article

Glioblastomas: we ask 20 Minutes to correct its article
By : Phonegate Team • 28 Mar 2025

On March 15, 2025, the newspaper 20 Minutes published an article on glioblastomas in 15-39 year-olds, these particularly aggressive brain tumors. While we welcome the interest shown in this crucial public health issue, we feel that some of the information contained in the article is inaccurate or imprecise, and could mislead the public. Despite our exchanges with the editorial team and the experts quoted in the article, no corrections have been made to date. Once again, we return to the facts to set the record straight.

20 Minutes article: questionable figures and wording

In its March 15 article, 20 Minutes cites figures for the incidence of glioblastoma in France that contradict official data published by Santé Publique France (SPF). The article states that glioblastomas represent “20% of the 5900 central nervous system cancers diagnosed each year”, i.e. around 1180 cases per year. However, according to SPF‘s 2019 and 2021 reports, the number of glioblastomas was estimated at 3,481 cases in 2018, representing around 56% of central nervous system cancers.

WHO’s review on cell phone radiation and cancer cannot assure safety, renowned experts say

WHO’s review on cell phone radiation and cancer cannot assure safety, renowned experts say

Theodora Scarato, ehn.org, March 14, 2025

Photo by vadymvdrobot on Envato

Four critiques published by distinguished U.S. and international experts have documented the science showing that a World Health Organization (WHO) funded review on cell phone radiation cannot conclude cell phones are safe due to several critical errors, omissions, and conflicts of interests.

In short:

• Experts state that the WHO review failed to follow best practices for statistical analyses, and relied heavily on lower quality and less precise, industry-tied studies.
• The WHO review’s conclusion omitted findings of large scale animal experiments, which have demonstrated “clear evidence” of an association with cancer.
• The WHO’s conclusions are not in alignment with seven meta-analyses that have found significant evidence of an association between heavy, long-term cellphone use (greater than ten years) and tumor risk.
• Several authors of the WHO review have conflicts of interest, including a history of receiving industry funding for their research. .
• All four critiques emphasize the need for a public health approach that minimizes exposure to cell phone radiation, especially for children.

Glioblastoma in 15-39 year-olds: 230% increase in 20 years!

Glioblastoma in 15-39 year-olds: 230% increase in 20 years!
By : Phonegate Team • 9 Mar 2025

Phonegate Alert notes with the utmost attention the publication on March 3, 2025 of a study by Santé Publique France (SPF) on the incidence of cancers in adolescents and young adults (AYA) aged 15 to 39. This report reveals a worrying increase in glioblastoma (serious brain cancer) in this age group, with a significant rise of +6.11% per year over the period studied (2000-2020). This represents an overall increase of around 233% over 20 years!

Glioblastoma: Red alert among young people

This increase is particularly alarming, as it contrasts with trends observed for other types of cancer. While the overall incidence of cancers in the AYA population has seen an increase followed by stabilization (or even a slight decrease), the continuing rise in glioblastomas stands out. With regard to central nervous system (CNS) tumours in general, the study also highlights the need to interpret the data with caution due to various potential biases, but the specific increase in glioblastomas remains a major cause for concern.

A Critical Analysis of the World Health Organization (WHO) Systematic Review 2024 on Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure and Cancer Risks

A Critical Analysis of the World Health Organization (WHO) Systematic Review 2024 on Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure and Cancer Risks 

Lennart Hardell and Mona Nilsson - published 19 Feb. 2025
Journal of Cancer Science and Clinical Therapeutics, DOI:10.26502/jcsct.5079261

Abstract 

Radiofrequency (RF) radiation was in 2011 classified as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the WHO. Currently the WHO undertakes a systematic review of human studies on the cancer risks. In a publication by Karipidis et al (2024), commissioned by the WHO, it was argued that based on all available studies there would be “moderate certanity evidence” that mobile phone use “likely does not increase the risk of glioma, meningioma, acoustic neuroma, pituitary tumours, and salivary gland tumours in adults, or of paediatric brain tumours.” However, the authors have overlooked results showing increased risks for brain tumours in the most exposed groups, the most exposed part of the head, and longest latency time from first exposure to tumour diagnosis. The authors also claimed that there would be “moderate certainty evidence” that transmitters and mobile phone base stations do not increase the risk of pediatric leukaemia. These conclusions are based on selective inclusion of very few and low exposure studies. This WHO evaluation is contradicted by scientific results that show increased risks of cancer from exposure to RF-radiation from mobile and cordless phones, transmitters, and base stations. Other scientists have concluded, after reviewing the available evidence, that RF-radiation may increase the risk of cancer. This article analysis the Karipidis et al review and highlights several errors, omissions, and conflicts of interests that may explain the conclusions of no cancer risk. The flawed evaluation of scientific facts should lead to retraction of the article.

https://www.stralskyddsstiftelsen.se/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Hardell-Nilsson-J-Cancer-Sci-Clin-Ther-2025.pdf

ICBE-EMF Comments to ANSES Draft Report on "Radiofrequencies and Cancer"

ICBE-EMF Comments to ANSES on Radiofrequency and Cancer

ICBE-EMF, 25 Nov. 2024

The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) has filed comments to the draft report of ANSES, the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety on “Radiofrequencies and Cancer.”

“The totality of the above findings strengthens IARC’s conclusion from 2011, when radiofrequency radiation was classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (IARC 2013). To dismiss those findings in order to maintain current exposure limits to radiofrequency radiation is not in the best interest of public health.”

“The extensive scientific literature on adverse effects of radiofrequency radiation should alert public health agencies of risks to human health, including cancer, in order for exposure limits to be set to levels that minimize those risks.”

ICBE-EMF Comments to ANSES (English)

ICBE-EMF Comments to ANSES (French)

References cited in the ICBE-EMF submission to ANSES

Advisory Group recommendations on priorities for the IARC Monographs during 2025–2029: Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields including wireless mobile radiation

Advisory Group recommendations on priorities for the IARC Monographs during 2025–2029
iarc.who.int, 4 November 2024

Report of the Advisory Group to Recommend Priorities for the IARC Monographs during 2025–2029 (pp. 171-173)

Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields including wireless mobile radiation

Current IARC/WHO classification

Radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) radiation (including from wireless mobile telephones) has been previously classified by IARC as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) in IARC Monographs Volume 102 in 2011 (IARC, 2013a), based on limited evidence in humans for glioma and acoustic neuroma. RF-EMF was given a priority rating of high by the Advisory Group to Recommend Priorities for the IARC Monographs during 2020–2024 (IARC, 2019a), on the basis of new cancer bioassay evidence in two independent studies (described below).

WHO is undertaking a health risk assessment of RF-EMF for a variety of outcomes, including cancer. This will be published as a monograph in the Environmental Health Criteria series and is based on several, currently ongoing, systematic reviews commissioned by WHO (Lagorio et al., 2021; Mevissen et al., 2022).

Increase in colorectal cancer among young people: the role of smartphones

Increase in colorectal cancer among young people: the role of smartphones
By : Phonegate Team • 10 Oct 2024

A recent study presented by Dr. De-Kun Li at the 35th Annual Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology in Santiago, Chile, in 2024, suggests a potential link between regularly carrying mobile phones in our pants pockets and the increase in colorectal cancer cases among young adults. This research is part of the broader context of the “Phonegate” scandal, revealed in 2016 in France, concerning the exceeding of electromagnetic wave exposure standards by our mobile phones.

Results of Dr. Li’s study

Dr. Li’s pilot study, designed to examine 50 cases of EOCRC* and 50 matched controls, revealed striking results:

• People carrying a phone below the waist were four times more likely to develop tumors.
• The link was particularly strong when the phone was carried on the same side where the tumor developed.
• Those who carried a phone on the left side for more than 30,000 hours (about 10 years) were 12 times more likely to develop a tumor on that side of the colon.
• The risk was significantly higher for ipsilateral (same side) carrying than for contralateral (opposite side) carrying.

Increasing incidence of central nervous system tumors in Denmark (1995-2023)

Increasing incidence of CNS-tumours in Denmark
Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation, 7 October 2024

The latest report on the number of new cancer cases in Denmark for 2023 shows that central nervous system (CNS) tumors, including brain tumors, have been increasing among both men and women.

On September 30, 2024, the Danish Cancer Registry published a new report on the number of newly diagnosed cancers during the last year 2023. The data shows that tumors of the central nervous system, CNS, including brain tumors, are increasing and are among the cancers that have increased most rapidly over the past ten years between 2014 and 2023. This applies to all tumor types combined. The statistics thus contradict those who argue that brain tumor incidence is not increasing, an argument that been used to argue that mobile phone use is not linked to an increased risk of brain tumors or cancers in general.

The Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation has examined three reports from the Danish Cancer Registry (see sources below). These reports include the number of new cases of CNS tumors per 100,000 inhabitants, age-standardized to the Danish population in 2000. We compiled the data from 1995 through 2023 in the graph below:

The number of new cases of central nervous system (CNS) tumors, including brain tumors, among women (blue) and men (red) per 100 000 inhabitants, each year in Denmark from 1995 to 2023, age-standardized to the Danish population in 2000.

New Clues on Colorectal Cancer Among Young Adults

New Clues on Colorectal Cancer Among Young Adults
Higher Risks When Cell Phone Is Carried Below the Waist
microwavenews.com, 30 Sept. 2024

It’s a long-running medical mystery: Why have so many people under 50 in affluent countries been developing colorectal cancer in recent decades?

Something new is triggering a jump in what’s known as early-onset colon and rectal cancer (EOCRC). The rates have been going up for the last 20 years and no one knows why it’s happening. The usual risk factors for CRC —obesity, smoking, bad diet and lack of exercise— don’t fully explain the increase.

Five years ago, De-Kun Li, a senior epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA, offered a new possibility: carrying a cell phone below the waist. When placed in a pocket below the belt, the phone transmits RF radiation into the abdomen. Given that RF has been shown to cause cancer in animal experiments, Li thought it was a plausible risk factor. (This is what I wrote at the time.)

The idea didn’t catch on, but Li persisted and conducted a pilot study to test his hypothesis. It convinced him that he may be onto something.

It’s a small study, designed to survey 50 cases of EOCRC and 50 matched controls. He found that those who carried a phone below the waist were four times more likely to develop tumors.

EOCRC Tumors on the Left Side

Li found that the link between cell phone carrying and EOCRC is strongest when the phone was kept on the same side as where the tumor developed.

EOCRC tends to develop on the left side of the colon. Those who carried a phone on the left side for more than 30,000 hours were 12 times more likely to develop a tumor on that side of the colon. This elevated risk for what’s called ipsilateral carrying is statistically significant. (36,000 hours is equivalent to about ten years of RF exposure.)

9/11 - In Memory of Those Who Lost Their Lives

More FDNY members have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed in attack
by Avery Lotz, axios.com, 11 September 2024

(Photo):  annual ''Tribute in Light'', which is a solemn display to commemorate the tragic events of 2001 and honors the nearly 3,000 lives lost, is tested ahead of the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York on Sept. 9. Photo: Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images

The number of New York City Fire Department members who have died from 9/11-related illnesses in the decades since the attack now surpasses the number who died that day.

Uncovering WHO’s Bias and the True Health Risks of Wireless Radiation

Uncovering WHO’s Bias and the True Health Risks of Wireless Radiation

rfsafe.comm September 4, 2024 

Electromagnetic Radiation Safety WHO Review

Jolygon/Getty Images

Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from wireless devices like cell phones, Wi-Fi, and cell towers has become an inescapable part of modern life. Yet, for decades, the health effects of prolonged exposure to this radiation have been a topic of controversy, with powerful industry forces influencing the narrative and regulation. As research has evolved, evidence increasingly suggests that EMR poses significant health risks, including cancer, but organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) have repeatedly downplayed these concerns.

This article will dissect a recent WHO-commissioned review, which claims no cancer link to cellphone use, despite an overwhelming body of research that suggests otherwise. We will explore the mechanisms behind this bias, the role of organizations like the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), and how conflicts of interest have shaped the regulatory landscape. Moreover, we will contrast WHO’s position with independent studies that highlight the true dangers of wireless radiation.

Biased WHO-commissioned review claims no cancer link to cellphone use

Today, many major news outlets are promoting a biased review of the literature commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) which claims that cellphone use has no link to cancer. Following are comments by Dr. Joel Moscowitz, University of California, Berkeley, on this review.

Biased WHO-commissioned review claims no cancer link to cellphone use
saferemr.com, September 3, 2024

Photograph: Kar-Tr/Getty Images/iStockphoto
(from The Guardian)

Today, many major news outlets are promoting a biased review of the literature commissioned by the World  Health Organization (WHO) which claims that cellphone use has no link to cancer.

In my professional opinion, the WHO selected scientists  to conduct systematic literature reviews on the biologic and health risks of wireless radiation who had demonstrated their bias through prior publications by either not finding evidence of harm or dismissing any evidence they found.

Moreover, each WHO team has one or more members of the ICNIRP, a German NGO that issues exposure limits for wireless radiation primarily based on research produced by its own members, their former students and close colleagues. The ICNIRP limits, designed to protect humans only from the acute effects of heating induced by wireless radiation, are promoted by the WHO and are similar to those adopted by the FCC.

United Kingdom: Ministry of Defense admits death of decorated RAF pilot from rare cancer after he was exposed to toxic exhaust fumes

The Ministry of Defense admits death of decorated RAF pilot from rare cancer after he was exposed to toxic exhaust fumes

BEARNAIRDINE BEAUMONT, 9 July 2024

This is a very important verdict - because it paves the way for civil action.

(Photo): Late Squadron Leader Kai Macnaughton pictured with his wife Clare

Following its 'groundbreaking' agreement in the High Court to take responsibility for the hearing loss suffered by former armed services people, the Ministry of Defense has now acknowledged that exposure to hazardous fumes caused cancer in certain military personnel.

There are currently about 100 people wishing to sue the Ministry of Defense on the grounds that poisonous fumes caused their or a family member's cancer.

Engine jet exhaust gasses, which include benzene carcinogens, "were being sucked through the cabin and out again through the cockpits - mixing with the air which everyone on board the aircraft was breathing," according to leading barrister Jonathan Dingle of Normanton Chambers.

Journal of the National Cancer Institute Publishes Expert Letter Questioning Report of No Brain Cancer from Cell Phones

Journal of the National Cancer Institute Publishes Expert Letter Questioning Report of No Brain Cancer from Cell Phones

Environmental Health Trust, 16 June 2022

Leading Yale physician, former director of NIEHS and environmental health experts caution that “million women” cell phone cancer study is flawed; recommend reducing cell phone exposure

WASHINGTON DC: The Journal of the National Cancer Institute has published a letter from distinguished experts disputing the Oxford “million women” study claiming no link between cell phone use and brain cancer. The new letter lays out why the Oxford report was deeply flawed. The authors note that substantial credible research links cell phone radiofrequency radiation to cancer and the experts recommend reducing exposures in alignment with numerous governments.

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute letter concludes:

“The majority of animal and cell studies have found nonionizing RFR can induce oxidative stress- a key characteristic of human carcinogens and a way that RFR can initiate or promote tumor development as well as play a role in the development of other diseases.

Cell Phone Radiation and Parotid Gland Cancer: Personal Testimony

We thank this courageous person for sharing her story. The article includes mention of published research on this type of cancer and exposure to cell phones.

MY CANCER STORY: CELL PHONE RADIATION AND PAROTID GLAND CANCER
Environmental Health Trust, 13 April 2021

Research on long term exposure to cell phones has found increased risk for tumors of the parotid gland. EHT is sharing sent in by a woman wanting to raise awareness on the issue. May her story save lives.

My cancer story.

I found a lump on the left side of my face in front of my left ear in late 2019.

In early 2020 after having a CT, MRI, and Biopsy, I was diagnosed with Mucoepidermoid. Mucoepidermoid is a carcinoma, which is a malignant tumor of the parotid gland.

On July 20, 2020, I underwent a left superficial parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation and left selective level II lymph node dissection at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville le, FL.

I have used a cell phone for close to 20 years. I started using iPhone about 8-10 years ago, with my most recent phone being an iPhone 7 that I have used for the past two years.

Daily my average phone time is 1-2 hours of holding the phone to my left ear. I would talk with my elderly mother daily for 30 mins to 1 hour, sometimes a few times a day. I would not use the speaker because she could not hear me. So I would hold the phone to my left ear. I would also talk to my older sister several times a day. Sometimes 30-45 mins a day and would hold the phone to my left ear as well.