THE’French National Agency for Health Security (ANSES) has published a report that takes stock of the situation to date on the debated topic of the dangers of electromagnetic waves.
After reviewing nearly 1000 scientific studies conducted from 2013 to May 2025, experts concluded that There is no evidence of a causal link between exposure to radio frequencies from mobile phones and the development of tumors. However, the Agency maintains a cautious approach, recommending conscious use of wireless devices, especially for the little ones.
The new ANSES evaluation
Since 2013, the year of the last ANSES evaluation on adults, the international scientific community has produced an enormous amount of data on the topic. Among these stand out large-scale epidemiological projects such as MOBI-kids and important toxicological research conducted by the US National Toxicology Program. The new French expertise has sifted through all this material, integrating the most recent results with the knowledge already acquired.
To ensure methodological rigor, ANSES has adopted criteria inspired by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), selecting approximately 250 scientific articles on the basis of the quality of the experimental protocols and the robustness of the statistical analyses. Epidemiological studies on human populations, experimental research on laboratory animals and investigations into biological mechanisms at the cellular level were examined.
What emerges from the research? Studies conducted on animals and cells have shown signals defined as “limited” by experts: some biological alterations have been observed, but not substantial enough to constitute an alarming picture. On the epidemiological front, however, investigations on exposed populations have not documented significant increases in the incidence of tumors related to cell phone use or environmental exposure.
At the end of the analysis the ANSES verdict is clear:
The expert opinion, which considered all this new knowledge together with previous scientific data, concluded that no causal link could be established between exposure to radiofrequency waves and the development of cancer.
Experts point out, however, that this conclusion does not exclude the possibility that new evidence may emerge from future research.
Before publishing the final report, the Agency organized a public consultation in 2024 to collect comments from the scientific community and interested associations. A day of discussion allowed researchers and citizens to interact directly with the authors of the report, asking questions and requesting clarifications on technical aspects. The document published in November 2025 takes into account all the contributions received.
Evolving uses, growing exposure
The way we use cell phones has changed dramatically. In France, 98% of people over the age of 12 own a mobile phone and 91% have a smartphone. Traditional phone calls with the device close to the ear are decreasing, replaced by the use of earphones and speakerphones that reduce direct head exposure.
At the same time, however, the consumption of online content has exploded: streaming videos, social media, messaging applications. The development of 4G and 5G networks, together with the increasing density of antennas in urban areas, is leading to a gradual increase in environmental exposure to radio frequencies. According to ANSES, these rapid changes require constant monitoring of the population’s real exposure levels.
The Agency’s recommendations
Despite the absence of evidence of carcinogenicity, ANSES maintains a precautionary approach and invites:
These indications are part of a broader framework of health protection linked to the use of smartphones: from the impact of blue light on sleep to the effects of a sedentary lifestyle in young people, topics already addressed by the Agency in previous studies.
ANSES does not just provide conclusions, but also outlines the path for the future. Among the priorities indicated in the report are: harmonizing experimental protocols between animal studies and research on cellular mechanisms, to make the results more comparable; continue epidemiological surveillance through tumor registries and large international cohorts such as COSMOS and finally systematically document how the real uses of wireless technologies change over time.
Finally, an important chapter concerns the fertilityrecent studies have in fact suggested possible effects of radio frequencies on reproductive capacity. The Agency announces that this topic will be the subject of a new specialist evaluation in the coming months.
The update published in 2025 focuses specifically on oncological risk, but ANSES’ work will also continue on other fronts.
The conclusion of the French experts is however an invitation to rationality: current scientific evidence does not justify alarmism on the carcinogenicity of electromagnetic waves, but the rapid evolution of technologies and uses requires continuous vigilance, quality research and a prudent approach in daily habits.
HERE you can read the full Anses report.
