The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) launched a public consultation on September 24, 2024, regarding its preliminary report on the links between radio frequencies and cancer. This consultation, open until November 25, 2024, invites stakeholders to comment on the agency’s provisional conclusions.
In this pre-report, ANSES concludes on page 339:
“Regardless of tumor location or biological systems analyzed in this report, the available data do not allow for a conclusion on the existence or absence of carcinogenic effects. This response also applies to the overall question of a carcinogenic effect in humans.”
This position marks a significant step back from the 2011 classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which categorized radio frequencies as “possibly carcinogenic” (Group 2B).
A Minority Position Relegated to an Appendix
The ANSES report includes a minority position expressed by Professor Gérard Ledoigt, an expert in plant biology. Contrary to the general conclusion, Professor Ledoigt believes that radio frequencies have a possible effect on carcinogenesis in humans, particularly concerning effects on the brain.
In Appendix 3 of the report, Professor Ledoigt concludes:
“Overall, radio frequencies have a possible effect on carcinogenesis in humans.”
This important conclusion should not be relegated to an appendix but should appear in the main body of the report to reflect the diversity of scientific opinions.
The inclusion of this single divergent position in an appendix rather than in the main report highlights the lack of plurality in the proposed analysis. This approach has been criticized by ANSES‘s own scientific committee, which pointed out “the absence of plurality of scientific opinions” within the working groups in a statement dated October 15, 2021. This situation, noted among others by NextInpact on October 18, 2021, raises legitimate questions about the representativeness and completeness of the analysis of links between radio frequencies and cancer.
A Broken Dialogue with ANSES
In 2023, Alerte Phonegate, along with five other associations, suspended their participation in ANSES‘s Dialogue Committee. This collective decision follows numerous disagreements over the functioning of this committee and the lack of consideration for the associations’ concerns.
This massive departure highlights deep dysfunctions in how ANSES manages dialogue with stakeholders and takes into account civil society’s alerts. It demonstrates the impossibility of establishing a truly constructive exchange on health issues related to radio frequencies.
This breakdown in dialogue reinforces our conviction that the current public consultation cannot lead to an impartial and transparent risk assessment. It fits into a broader context of mistrust towards the agency’s working methods on radio frequency issues.
A History of Contested Consultations
Alerte Phonegate is already contesting before the Administrative Court the previous public consultation by ANSES on 5G, which we consider a sham of participatory democracy. This legal action, initiated in 2022, aims to annul ANSES‘s opinion on 5G.
We believe that this public consultation process is deliberately biased and therefore does not allow for a genuine scientific debate. ANSES seems to use these consultations as a tool to legitimize pre-established conclusions rather than as a real means to enrich its expertise.
This new consultation on radio frequencies and cancer continues practices that we deem unacceptable. It only strengthens our conviction that since 2020 ANSES is no longer able to ensure an impartial and transparent assessment of health risks related to radio frequencies.
Alerte Phonegate, ARTAC, SERA, ASEF, and AZB Refuse to Endorse the Process
Faced with these conclusions, Alerte Phonegate, the Association for Anti-Cancer Therapeutic Research (ARTAC), Health Environment France Association (ASEF), White Zone Association (AZB) and Health Environment Association in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes (SERA) have decided not to participate in this public consultation.
Our associations believe that ANSES‘s approach is biased and will not allow for a genuine scientific debate on health risks related to radio frequencies. The pre-report deliberately ignores major scientific studies demonstrating carcinogenic effects of mobile phone waves. This biased selection of data can only lead to erroneous conclusions minimizing risks to public health.
Persistent Conflicts of Interest
We have long denounced close ties between some experts at ANSES and the telecommunications industry. Despite our repeated warnings, the agency has not taken necessary measures to ensure independence in its work.
This situation is illustrated by an event organized jointly by ANSES and WHO in Paris in 2022 titled “Radio Frequencies and Health: State of Knowledge and Perspectives”. As we pointed out in a previous statement, this event brought together experts whose independence is questionable, some having proven links with the telecommunications industry.
More recently, our statement dated September 19, 2024 confirmed our concerns through methodological problems and potential conflicts of interest in a recent World Health Organization (WHO) study on mobile phone use and brain tumor risk. This study, which concludes no increased risk, raises serious questions about its impartiality and scientific rigor. These examples reinforce our conviction that risk assessment related to radio frequencies is compromised by persistent conflicts of interest.
The Phonegate Scandal Deliberately Ignored
At a time when the Phonegate scandal has revealed that many cell phones massively exceed exposure standards, ANSES seems intent on ignoring this reality in its recent assessments.
This deliberate omission of a major health problem discredits the whole approach. It is particularly shocking to note that of the dozens of pages devoted to dosimetry in this pre-report, no mention is made of the two crucial ANSES reports published in 2016 and 2019.
These reports, produced by the agency itself, were at the root of the Phonegate scandal. This deliberate lack of reference to previous ANSES work on such a crucial subject raises serious questions about the integrity and comprehensiveness of the analysis presented.
As a reminder, ANSES, in its 2019 report, highlighted the lack of human studies on biological or health effects related to exposures to SARs above 2 W/kg. The report stated that the data obtained related exclusively to experimental studies carried out in vitro or in vivo in animals, with the exception of one study in humans that was not retained due to significant methodological limitations.
What credence can we give to this new report, which ignores these exceedances of standards and their potential consequences in terms of public health? Indeed, this deliberate omission of ANSES‘s own conclusions on Phonegate demonstrates a flagrant lack of coherence and transparency in the assessment of risks linked to radiofrequencies.
For True Scientific Transparency
For Dr Marc Arazi, President of the NGO Phonegate Alert:
“Faced with these shortcomings, we are calling for a genuine, open and transparent scientific debate. Only a truly independent appraisal, taking into account all available data, will enable us to objectively assess the health risks associated with radiofrequencies.”
Our associations remain mobilized to shed full light on the dangers of mobile telephony and defend the health of users. We will continue to alert public authorities and citizens to this major public health issue.
