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The Department of Health and Human Services is collecting scientific studies, clinical observations and public experiences involving electromagnetic fields and wireless radiation as it prepares new recommendations for families, schools and policymakers.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services has opened a new review of the potential health effects of electromagnetic fields and radiofrequency radiation, asking researchers, physicians, industry representatives and members of the public to submit evidence as the agency reassesses the federal government’s understanding of exposure from modern wireless technology.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the effort Sept. 17 as HHS issued a formal request for information covering electromagnetic fields, radiofrequency radiation and wireless radiation from technologies including cellphones, Wi-Fi, smart meters, wireless infrastructure, wearable devices, 5G and 6G systems, satellite communications and other connected technologies.
The department said the review is intended to evaluate existing scientific evidence, compare U.S. exposure standards with international approaches, identify research gaps and develop recommendations for policymakers, schools, families, communities and public health professionals.
“Wireless technologies are part of daily life, and our science must keep pace,” Kennedy said. “The MAHA Strategy directed HHS to examine electromagnetic radiation and health research, and we are acting on that directive.”
“I encourage scientists, physicians, industry, public health experts, workers, parents, and citizens to bring us the best available evidence so we can identify the gaps and focus federal research where it is needed most,” he added.
The department is seeking material ranging from peer-reviewed studies and government reports to industry data, clinical observations and technical analyses.
Individuals and families may also submit accounts of health effects they believe could be connected to electromagnetic or radiofrequency exposure. HHS said respondents should provide supporting information when possible, including the technology involved, exposure conditions and other evidence relevant to evaluating the reported experience.
The request specifically asks whether existing risk-assessment methods adequately account for potentially sensitive groups such as children, pregnant women, older adults, people with implanted medical devices, workers exposed to higher levels of electromagnetic fields and people with preexisting medical conditions.
HHS is also asking for research involving exposure below current federal limits, long-term cumulative exposure and the combined effects of increasingly widespread wireless technologies.
Comments are scheduled to be accepted for 30 days beginning Sept. 21.
Kennedy said Thursday that HHS plans to use information gathered through the process in a report expected this fall.
“But there are still gaps in knowledge, and we’re filling those,” Kennedy said. “HHS is reviewing the regulatory landscape, and we will release a report this fall.”
“We’ve opened the process to the public because these questions deserve rigorous science, transparency, and answers,” he said.
The review builds on Kennedy’s longstanding interest in electromagnetic radiation and federal exposure standards.
Before joining the Trump administration, Kennedy worked as an attorney in litigation challenging Federal Communications Commission rules governing radiofrequency exposure.
One of those cases resulted in a significant 2021 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The dispute centered on the FCC’s decision to retain radiofrequency exposure limits originally adopted in the 1990s.
The appeals court did not rule that wireless radiation at levels permitted under the FCC standards causes disease. Instead, it concluded that the commission had failed to adequately explain why its existing rules protected against certain potential health effects unrelated to cancer.
The court specifically found the FCC’s reasoning insufficient regarding possible non-cancer effects, children, long-term exposure, changes in wireless technology and environmental effects.
The court said the FCC’s failure to provide a reasoned explanation for its determination that radiation below existing limits did not cause certain harmful effects rendered portions of the agency’s decision “arbitrary and capricious.”
The court sent the matter back to the commission for further explanation.
Kennedy said during a Washington conference Thursday that court filings in the earlier litigation included more than 10,000 studies.
He has previously cited that figure while arguing that federal agencies should conduct additional research into the potential biological effects of electromagnetic exposure.
The existence of a large body of published literature does not itself establish that ordinary wireless exposure causes particular illnesses. Studies vary substantially in design, exposure levels, technologies examined and the strength of their findings.
The FCC has historically maintained that the overall scientific evidence does not establish a causal relationship between wireless-device use and cancer or other illnesses when exposures remain within federal limits.
In the decision underlying the 2021 litigation, the commission said it had found no scientific evidence establishing such a causal link and cited the Food and Drug Administration’s conclusion that available evidence did not support adverse human health effects at or below existing radiofrequency exposure limits.
The appeals court’s ruling focused on whether the FCC had sufficiently explained its regulatory decision, rather than resolving the underlying scientific debate.
That dispute has continued.
Children’s Health Defense, an organization Kennedy previously chaired, filed a new federal action in May seeking to compel the FCC to respond to the 2021 mandate.
The organization argues that the commission has not adequately completed the review required by the court.
In August, the D.C. Circuit gave the FCC 30 days to respond to the latest petition. Children’s Health Defense said the commission’s response is due Sept. 25.
The current HHS proceeding is broader than that litigation.
Federal health officials are asking not only about cellphone exposure but also about Wi-Fi systems, wireless medical devices, smart homes, autonomous vehicles, satellite communications and emerging technologies that may increase the number and variety of radiofrequency exposures encountered in everyday life.
HHS is also asking for recommendations about how the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could better coordinate future research.
Another area of inquiry involves measurement.
The department wants information on how individual and population exposure can be assessed more accurately, what information should be disclosed publicly and whether additional surveillance systems are necessary.
It is also comparing American rules with regulatory standards used in other countries.
Kennedy has said the purpose of the review is to determine what the evidence supports rather than assume a conclusion before that process is completed.
HHS likewise describes the initiative as an evidence-gathering exercise intended to identify areas where existing research is strong, areas where findings remain uncertain and questions that require additional study.
The resulting report could influence future federal research priorities and public health recommendations concerning wireless technology, although HHS has not announced new exposure limits or regulations as part of the current request.
For now, the department is assembling a wider evidentiary record as federal officials revisit a scientific and regulatory debate that has continued alongside the rapid expansion of wireless devices and infrastructure.
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