5G and Health: What the Research Shows About Cell Towers, Phones, and Cancer Risk in 2026

As fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks rolled out around the world, some public health voices warned that the new technology amounted to a massive, untested experiment on all living things, with claims linking 5G to cancer, neurological problems, harm to wildlife, and even the spread of COVID-19. Communities debated whether to allow new antennas, and some cities and countries delayed deployment. Telecom companies and regulators said the networks operate within established safety limits.

This article examines what 5G is, how radiofrequency energy interacts with the body, what major reviews and studies have found about health effects, why some scientists remain cautious, and practical steps for people who want to reduce exposure.

Is 5G dangerous to your health? The weight of scientific evidence says no. 5G uses radiofrequency energy, a type of non-ionizing radiation that does not damage DNA, and major reviews have found no confirmed health hazard at levels below international limits. A 2024 WHO-commissioned review of 63 studies found no link between mobile phone use and brain tumors. Claims tying 5G to cancer, illness, or COVID-19 are not supported by evidence.

What Is 5G, and How Is It Different?

5G is the fifth-generation mobile network standard, offering faster speeds and more capacity using radio waves across low, mid, and high (millimeter-wave) frequency bands. 5G is the latest standard for mobile networks, designed to provide faster data speeds, lower latency, and capacity for many more connected devices. Like earlier generations, it uses radio waves to carry signals. 5G networks operate across several frequency bands: low bands similar to those used by earlier networks, mid bands from about 1 to 6 gigahertz, and high bands, sometimes called millimeter waves, above 24 gigahertz in some countries. Higher frequencies carry more data but travel shorter distances and are more easily blocked by buildings and even leaves, so they require more, smaller antennas placed closer to users. This increase in visible infrastructure fueled public concern.

Radio waves are non-ionizing radiation, meaning they do not carry enough energy to remove electrons from atoms or directly damage DNA, unlike ionizing radiation such as X-rays and gamma rays. At sufficiently high intensities, RF energy heats tissue, which is the basis of microwave ovens. Exposure limits are set to keep heating well below levels that could cause harm. As frequency increases, RF energy penetrates less deeply into the body; at millimeter wave frequencies, absorption is largely confined to the skin and outer layers of the eye.

Does 5G or Cell Phone Use Cause Cancer?

Major reviews have not found a link. A 2024 WHO-commissioned review of 63 studies found mobile phone use was not associated with glioma, meningioma, or acoustic neuroma. The IARC classification. A 2011 summary in The Lancet Oncology by Robert Baan and colleagues reported that a working group of the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based mainly on limited evidence from case-control studies linking heavy mobile phone use to glioma and acoustic neuroma. Group 2B indicates limited evidence and also includes substances such as aloe vera extract and pickled vegetables in traditional Asian diets; it signals that a link cannot be ruled out, not that one has been established.

The 2024 WHO-commissioned review. A systematic review in Environment International by Ken Karipidis and colleagues, commissioned by the World Health Organization, analyzed 63 studies published from 1994 to 2022 with participants from 22 countries. Mobile phone use was not associated with increased risk of glioma (meta-relative risk 1.01), meningioma (0.92), acoustic neuroma (1.03), or pituitary tumors, and risks did not rise with longer time since starting use, cumulative call time, or number of calls. Cordless phones and exposure from broadcast transmitters and base stations were also not associated with increased cancer risks. A companion 2025 review by the same group examining other cancers found low to very low certainty evidence that mobile phone and occupational exposures do not increase risks of leukemia, lymphoma, or thyroid cancer.

5G frequencies specifically. A 2021 review in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology by Ken Karipidis and colleagues at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency examined 107 experimental studies and 31 epidemiological studies of RF fields above 6 GHz and found no confirmed evidence that low-level fields such as those used by 5G are hazardous to human health. The authors noted that many experimental studies were of poor quality and recommended better-designed research.

What Did the Government Rat Study Find?

A U.S. National Toxicology Program study found some tumors in male rats exposed to high levels of 2G and 3G-type radiation over their whole bodies for most of their lives, findings whose relevance to normal human phone use is debated. Concerns were heightened by a large U.S. government animal study. According to the National Toxicology Program, its two-year studies in rats and mice, published as technical reports in November 2018, exposed animals to high levels of RF radiation like that used in 2G and 3G phones (about 700 to 2,700 megahertz). The studies found clear evidence of an association with malignant schwannomas in the hearts of male rats and some evidence of an association with malignant gliomas in the brains and tumors in the adrenal glands of male rats. Findings in female rats and in mice were equivocal or absent. The animals were exposed over their whole bodies for about nine hours a day for most of their lives, at levels higher than typical human exposure. Unexpectedly, exposed male rats lived longer than unexposed controls. The FDA states that the weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phone radiofrequency radiation with any health problems, while some scientists argued the rat findings warranted precaution.

How Are 5G Exposure Limits Set?

International limits, updated in 2020 to cover 5G frequencies, are designed to keep radiofrequency energy well below levels that heat tissue, with large safety margins. The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection updated its guidelines in 2020, published in Health Physics, covering frequencies from 100 kilohertz to 300 gigahertz, including those used by 5G. The guidelines set limits designed to prevent tissue heating with substantial safety margins, and for higher frequencies they added limits on brief exposures and on power density averaged over small areas of skin. The World Health Organization states that, after much research, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies, that only a few studies have been carried out at 5G frequencies, and that provided overall exposure remains below international guidelines, no consequences for public health are anticipated. In practice, measurements near 5G installations have generally found exposures well below these limits.

How Can I Reduce My Radiofrequency Exposure?

People who want to reduce exposure can use speakerphone or headphones, keep phones away from the body, and text instead of calling, though evidence of harm at normal levels is lacking. Most RF exposure comes from devices held close to the body, such as phones, rather than from distant cell towers, because intensity drops rapidly with distance. People who want to reduce exposure can use speakerphone or wired headphones, keep phones away from the body when possible, text instead of calling, avoid long calls in areas with weak signals (when phones transmit at higher power), and keep devices off the bed at night. These steps are inexpensive and reasonable for those who prefer precaution, though evidence does not indicate they are necessary for health.

Did 5G Cause or Spread COVID-19?

No. The claim that 5G caused or spread COVID-19 is false and biologically impossible. Viruses spread through respiratory droplets and contact between people, not through radio waves, which cannot create or transmit a virus. The pandemic spread in many countries and regions with little or no 5G coverage, and COVID-19 affected places with no 5G at all. The rumor nonetheless led to arson attacks on cell towers in several countries. Public health agencies, telecom regulators, and scientists worldwide have rejected any connection between 5G and the coronavirus.

Does 5G Harm Birds, Bees, or Other Wildlife?

Claims that 5G kills birds or causes bee colony collapse are not supported by evidence. Viral stories of birds dying near 5G masts were traced to unrelated causes, and bee declines are well explained by pesticides, habitat loss, disease, and parasites, as documented in research predating 5G. Some scientists have called for more study of radiofrequency effects on insects and wildlife, particularly at higher frequencies, and this remains an area of ongoing research. But the dramatic claims of mass wildlife deaths from 5G have not held up to investigation.

Why Do People Worry About 5G?

Several factors fuel 5G fears. The rollout brought many new, visible antennas closer to homes, making the technology feel intrusive. The word “radiation” sounds alarming even though radio waves are non-ionizing and very different from X-rays. New technologies often provoke anxiety, as earlier generations of wireless and even power lines did. Social media spreads vivid claims faster than careful evidence, and some of the 5G fears overlapped with broader distrust during the pandemic. Acknowledging these understandable concerns, while explaining what the science shows, is more effective than dismissing them.

How Does 5G Compare to Other Everyday Radiation?

People are exposed to radiofrequency energy from many sources, including FM and TV broadcasts, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, baby monitors, and earlier mobile networks, all of which are non-ionizing. Measurements near 5G installations have generally found exposures far below international limits and comparable to or lower than existing sources. This is very different from ionizing radiation, such as medical X-rays, radon, and cosmic rays, which carries enough energy to damage DNA and does raise cancer risk at sufficient doses. Confusing these two kinds of radiation is a common source of 5G fear.

What Do Scientists Still Want to Study?

While the evidence does not show harm at everyday exposure levels, scientists acknowledge genuine knowledge gaps. Relatively few studies have examined the specific high frequencies used by some 5G networks, and many experimental studies have been judged low quality. Researchers have called for better-designed studies of millimeter-wave frequencies, long-term effects, and possible impacts on wildlife. Agencies continue to monitor the research. This cautious, evidence-based uncertainty is different from the dramatic claims of imminent harm, and it supports continued study rather than alarm.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 5G dangerous to your health?

The weight of scientific evidence does not show that 5G exposures below international limits harm health. 5G uses non-ionizing radiofrequency energy that does not damage DNA, and major reviews have found no confirmed hazard at everyday levels. Research at the highest 5G frequencies is more limited, which is why scientists call for continued study rather than alarm.

Do cell phones or 5G cause brain cancer?

Current evidence says no. A 2024 WHO-commissioned systematic review of 63 studies from 22 countries found mobile phone use was not associated with glioma, meningioma, acoustic neuroma, or pituitary tumors, and risk did not rise with more years of use or more call time. Radiation from cell towers and base stations was also not linked to cancer.

Why did the WHO’s cancer agency once call RF “possibly carcinogenic”?

In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified radiofrequency fields as Group 2B, “possibly carcinogenic,” based on limited evidence from studies of heavy mobile phone users. Group 2B means a link cannot be fully ruled out, not that one is established; the same category includes aloe vera extract and pickled vegetables. Later, larger reviews found no association.

What did the government rat study actually find?

A U.S. National Toxicology Program study exposed rats to high levels of 2G and 3G-type radiation over their whole bodies for about nine hours a day for most of their lives. It found some heart and brain tumors in male rats, but not females or mice. The exposures far exceeded normal phone use, and the findings’ relevance to people is debated; oddly, exposed male rats also lived longer.

Did 5G cause or spread COVID-19?

No. This claim is false and biologically impossible. Viruses spread through respiratory droplets and contact, not radio waves, and COVID-19 spread widely in areas with little or no 5G coverage. The rumor nonetheless led to arson attacks on cell towers. Public health agencies and scientists worldwide have firmly rejected any link between 5G and the coronavirus.

How can I reduce my radiofrequency exposure if I want to?

Although evidence of harm at normal levels is lacking, people who prefer to reduce exposure can use speakerphone or wired or Bluetooth headphones, keep phones away from the body and out of pockets, text instead of calling, and avoid holding a phone to the head during long calls. Exposure drops quickly with even a little distance from the device.

References

1. Baan R, Grosse Y, Lauby-Secretan B, et al. Carcinogenicity of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. Lancet Oncology. 2011;12(7):624–626. PMID 21845765
2. Karipidis K, Baaken D, Loney T, et al. The effect of exposure to radiofrequency fields on cancer risk in the general and working population: A systematic review of human observational studies – Part I: Most researched outcomes. Environment International. 2024;191:108983. PMID 39241333
3. Karipidis K, Baaken D, Loney T, et al. The effect of exposure to radiofrequency fields on cancer risk in the general and working population: A systematic review of human observational studies – Part II: Less researched outcomes. Environment International. 2025;196:109274. PMID 39904670
4. Karipidis K, Mate R, Urban D, et al. 5G mobile networks and health—a state-of-the-science review of the research into low-level RF fields above 6 GHz. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. 2021;31(4):585–605. PMID 33727687
5. International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz). Health Physics. 2020;118(5):483–524. PMID 32167495
6. National Toxicology Program. Cell Phone Radio Frequency Radiation. ntp.niehs.nih.gov
7. World Health Organization. Radiation: 5G mobile networks and health. who.int
8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Scientific Evidence for Cell Phone Safety. fda.gov

Last updated: October 6, 2026