{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499","number":"5499","name":"Michael Peleg","organization":"","posted":"2026-10-27T04:00Z","received":"2026-10-19T04:00Z","body":"Carcinogenicity of radio-frequency radiation in the occupational and military setting\nPrepared  jointly by:\nElihu Richter, ORCID  0000-0003-3218-7765\nMichael Peleg, ORCID 0000-0002-7520-8741  peleg.michael@gmail.com\nA slightly longer and better formated version is attached as a PDF file.\n\nWe took part in research reported in the papers in the reference list below. The research provides a strong indication of carcinogenicity of Radio-Frequency Radiation (RFR).\n\nThe research subjects:\nGroups of young cancer patients previously exposed to RFR in the military and occupational setting.\n\nThe exposure:\nThe exposure was from radio communication transmitters, from radar and from electronic warfare. The exposure was repetitive, typically over a year or more. The Israeli Defense Forces exposure levels are guided by the occupational  standards set by ICNIRP which allow average power higher by a factor of 5 relative to the ICNIRP recommendations for the general population. Importantly, those standards almost do not limit the peak power of radar pulses provided the average power is within the limits. Power concentrated in strong pulses may be more bioactive as explained in the references.\n\nResearch methods:\nThe primary  information was from the patients; most of them were trained operators, technicians and engineers. For small subgroups of patients, we knew the size of the whole exposed population and thus we were able to estimate cancer Risk Ratios (RR) relative to the general population. For most of the patients the size of the exposed population was not available. Therefore we examined also cancer characteristics since cancer characteristics which are very different from those of cancer patients from the general population indicate an additional carcinogen. We examined Percentage Frequencies (PF) of cancer types and proportion of cancer patients suffering from multiple primaries.\n\nThe main results:\nThe RRs for cancer in the small subgroups were very high, e.g. 8, and statistically significant.\nThe PF of hematolymphoid cancers was about twice the value in the general population and statistically significant. \nThe two results above are consistent with research results of other research groups in different countries, see table 7 and figure 4 in reference (4) and section 3.4 in reference (3).\nProportion of patients suffering multiple primaries as reported in reference (3) was higher by a factor of 4.5 than the value expected in the general population. This indicates a potent carcinogen. Such a dramatic rise in multiple primaries was not observed in our next work  (4). The latencies in (4) may not have been long enough to develop multiple primaries.\n\nOur recommendations:\nRadio Frequency Radiation (RFR) should be recognized as a human carcinogen.\nLimit human exposure to low levels, for example 1μW/cm2 average level and 5μW/cm2 peak pulse level. The suggested level is in the range of known community levels. \nIn the military and the occupational settings, reduce exposures  to the lowest possible level, striving to the specifications above. Use Faraday barriers to reduce exposures at the source and personal level and any other means required. \nDocument individual exposures and provide this information to all highly exposed humans. Provide the exposed humans with long-term periodical medical surveillance  for cancer and for other health effects.\nPerform epidemiological cancer research on all known personnel exposed to significant levels of RFR.\nPlease see the detailed recommendation section in reference (4).\n\nAcknowledgement:\nWe thank the Environmental Health Trust for organizing, in Israel, two international conferences on RFR  and EMF health aspects which enabled very useful information exchange among the participants.\n\nReferences:\n(1)\tRichter E, Berman T, Ben-Michael E, Laster R, Westin JB. \"Cancer in radar technicians exposed to radiofrequency/microwave radiation: sentinel episodes.\" Int J Occup Environ Health. 2000 Jul-Sep;6(3):187-93. doi: 10.1179/oeh.2000.6.3.187. PMID: 10926722. \n(2)\tM. Peleg: \"Report on a Cancer Cluster in an Antenna Ranges Facility\",  International IEEE Conference on Microwaves, Communications,  Antennas and Electronic Systems, IEEE COMCAS 2009, Tel Aviv, 9-11 November 2009. \n(3)\tMichael Peleg, Or Nativ, Elihu D. Richter: Radio frequency radiation related cancer: assessing causation in the occupational/military setting, Environmental Research, Volume 163, May 2018, Pages 123-133, ISSN 0013-9351\n(4)\tM. Peleg, E. M. Berry, M. Deitch, O. Nativ, E. Richter: On radar and radio exposure and cancer in the military setting, Environmental Research, Volume 216, Part 2, Jan 2023, 114610, ISSN 0013-9351\n(5)\tPeleg M, Berry E M, Deitch M, Nativ O, Richter E. 'Carcinogenicity of Radio-Frequency Radiation: Similarities and Differences Between Outcomes of Two Studies'. Med Discoveries. 2025; 4(7): 1267\n","attachments":["https://downloads.regulations.gov/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499/attachment_6.pdf","https://downloads.regulations.gov/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499/attachment_2.pdf","https://downloads.regulations.gov/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499/attachment_4.pdf","https://downloads.regulations.gov/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499/attachment_3.pdf","https://downloads.regulations.gov/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499/attachment_5.pdf","https://downloads.regulations.gov/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499/attachment_1.pdf"],"attachment_inventory":true,"withheld":false,"source":"https://www.regulations.gov/comment/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499","tags":["cancer-tumors","sleep-cognition","exposure-places","research-evidence"],"source_hash":"04c4429c249de748952e379847afee3754096025bf13f9a0b3500e3a83dd8d9a","slug":"cancer-tumors-comment-5499","classification":{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5499","body_sha256":"4488685268c85ed1b26e720d5f99de7e2f45e49a18fdd6950131be25c56d400c","status":"ai_reviewed","primary_topic":"cancer","topics":[{"id":"cancer","evidence":"cy Radiation (RFR) should be recognized as a human carcinogen.\nLimit human exposure to low levels, for example 1μW/cm2 average"},{"id":"occupational","evidence":"er patients previously exposed to RFR in the military and occupational setting.\n\nThe exposure:\nThe exposure was from radio communication transm"},{"id":"standards","evidence":"it human exposure to low levels, for example 1μW/cm2 average level and 5μW/cm2 peak pulse level. The suggested level is in the range of known community levels. "},{"id":"research","evidence":"cancer and for other health effects.\nPerform epidemiological cancer research on all known personnel exposed to significant levels of RFR.\nPle"}],"summary":"Researchers summarize occupational and military cancer findings, recommend recognizing RF as a human carcinogen, and call for lower average and peak exposures, monitoring and further epidemiology.","reviewed_at":"2026-10-27T23:26:06Z","review_method":"Full comment-text review with exact source evidence; attachments not reviewed","review_source_sha256":"e8c796b4fd1bdc4ed92431a6898c13ada522a2f7fe8afef128bae986cd6a9206","source_url":"https://rfsafe.net/hhs-comments/data/catalog.json","scope":"Original comment body; attachments excluded"},"forum_topics":["cancer","occupational","standards","research"],"primary_topic":"cancer","forum_title":"Researchers summarize occupational and military cancer findings, recommend recognizing RF as a human carc…"}