Systematic reviews and meta-analyses for the WHO assessment of health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, an introduction
Abstract
Category: Environmental Health, Epidemiology Tags: radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, EMF, RF exposure, health risks, WHO, systematic review, cancer DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109751 URL: sciencedirect.com Overview This editorial introduces a special issue of Environment International focused on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) assessment of the health effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF). The collection represents four years of collaborative scientific work involving more than 80 global experts, culminating in multiple systematic reviews and protocols that inform the WHO's health risk assessment for RF-EMF exposure. Project Highlights - Includes nine protocols and twelve systematic reviews supporting human health risk assessment of RF-EMF exposure. - Describes commissioning, development processes, and methodologies for systematic reviews. - Summarizes key findings and discusses successes and challenges of this large-scale effort. Findings - Evidence consistently evaluated for major health outcomes such as cancer, cognition, fertility, symptoms, and oxidative stress, with review sizes ranging from 5 to 215 included studies per outcome. - Systematic reviews in humans found moderate-certainty evidence of no or only small effect for major cancer types (glioma, lymphoma), except for lower certainty in thyroid and oral/pharyngeal cancers. - Animal studies showed high- to moderate-certainty evidence of effects on five cancer types and high-certainty evidence of adverse effects on male fertility. - Evidence for human effects on cognition and symptoms was of moderate- to very low-certainty, often limited by few studies or bias risks. - Oxidative stress findings were highly variable and certainty was very low, with methodological challenges noted. - While primarily thermal and nerve excitation mechanisms are recognized, editors emphasize the possibility of unidentified biophysical mechanisms that could also pose health risks from RF EMF exposure. Conclusion These systematically conducted reviews provide the most substantial basis to date for evaluating the effects of EMF exposure on health and are intended to guide the forthcoming WHO EHC Monograph on RF fields. Importantly, the differences in animal and human study results underscore ongoing methodological and interpretative challenges, highlighting the need for integration of this evidence in the global health context. The possibility of yet unknown mechanisms linking RF-EMF exposure to health risks is acknowledged, and continued vigilance and research are recommended.
AI evidence extraction
Main findings
This editorial introduces a WHO-linked special issue comprising nine protocols and twelve systematic reviews on RF-EMF health effects. It reports that human systematic reviews found moderate-certainty evidence of no or only small effects for major cancer types (e.g., glioma, lymphoma), with lower certainty for thyroid and oral/pharyngeal cancers, while animal studies reported high- to moderate-certainty evidence of effects on five cancer types and high-certainty evidence of adverse effects on male fertility. Evidence for cognition and symptoms in humans was described as moderate- to very low-certainty, and oxidative stress findings were highly variable with very low certainty.
Outcomes measured
- Cancer (human)
- Cancer (animal)
- Cognition
- Fertility (male)
- Symptoms
- Oxidative stress
Limitations
- This article is an editorial summarizing multiple reviews rather than presenting primary study data.
- Certainty for several outcomes is described as low to very low, often due to few studies and risk of bias.
- Oxidative stress evidence is described as highly variable with methodological challenges.
- Differences between animal and human findings are noted as creating interpretative challenges.
Suggested hubs
-
who-icnirp
(0.9) Editorial introduces systematic reviews conducted to inform the WHO assessment and forthcoming WHO EHC Monograph on RF fields.
View raw extracted JSON
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"outcomes": [
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"main_findings": "This editorial introduces a WHO-linked special issue comprising nine protocols and twelve systematic reviews on RF-EMF health effects. It reports that human systematic reviews found moderate-certainty evidence of no or only small effects for major cancer types (e.g., glioma, lymphoma), with lower certainty for thyroid and oral/pharyngeal cancers, while animal studies reported high- to moderate-certainty evidence of effects on five cancer types and high-certainty evidence of adverse effects on male fertility. Evidence for cognition and symptoms in humans was described as moderate- to very low-certainty, and oxidative stress findings were highly variable with very low certainty.",
"effect_direction": "mixed",
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"Certainty for several outcomes is described as low to very low, often due to few studies and risk of bias.",
"Oxidative stress evidence is described as highly variable with methodological challenges.",
"Differences between animal and human findings are noted as creating interpretative challenges."
],
"evidence_strength": "high",
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"peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
"stance": "neutral",
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"summary": "This editorial introduces a special issue supporting the WHO assessment of health effects from RF-EMF exposure, based on nine protocols and twelve systematic reviews developed over four years by more than 80 experts. It summarizes that human evidence for major cancers was moderate-certainty for no or only small effects, with lower certainty for some cancer sites, while animal evidence reported higher-certainty effects for several cancer types and adverse effects on male fertility. For cognition, symptoms, and oxidative stress, certainty was generally lower and findings more variable, and the editors note ongoing methodological challenges and the possibility of unidentified mechanisms.",
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"The paper is an editorial introducing a WHO-focused special issue compiling protocols and systematic reviews on RF-EMF health effects.",
"The collection includes nine protocols and twelve systematic reviews intended to inform the WHO health risk assessment.",
"Human systematic reviews reported moderate-certainty evidence of no or only small effects for major cancer types such as glioma and lymphoma.",
"Certainty for thyroid and oral/pharyngeal cancers was described as lower than for other major cancer outcomes.",
"Animal studies were summarized as showing high- to moderate-certainty evidence of effects on five cancer types and high-certainty evidence of adverse effects on male fertility.",
"Evidence for human cognition and symptoms outcomes was described as moderate- to very low-certainty, often limited by few studies or risk of bias.",
"Oxidative stress findings were described as highly variable with very low certainty and methodological challenges.",
"The editors acknowledge primarily thermal and nerve excitation mechanisms while noting the possibility of unidentified biophysical mechanisms."
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"tags": [
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"Systematic Review",
"Meta-Analysis",
"Cancer",
"Glioma",
"Lymphoma",
"Thyroid Cancer",
"Oral Cancer",
"Male Fertility",
"Cognition",
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"Oxidative Stress",
"Evidence Certainty",
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"radiofrequency electromagnetic fields",
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"facebook": "An editorial introduces a WHO-focused special issue compiling 9 protocols and 12 systematic reviews on RF-EMF health effects. It reports moderate-certainty evidence of no or only small effects for major cancers in humans, contrasted with higher-certainty effects in animal studies for some cancers and male fertility, while cognition/symptoms and oxidative stress evidence remains lower certainty and variable.",
"linkedin": "Environment International editorial introduces a WHO assessment special issue (9 protocols, 12 systematic reviews) on RF-EMF health effects. Summary: human evidence for major cancers shows moderate-certainty no/only small effects (lower certainty for some sites), animal evidence reports higher-certainty effects for several cancers and male fertility, and cognition/symptoms/oxidative stress outcomes remain lower-certainty with methodological challenges."
}
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