<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has initiated a process to consider regulations or health warnings regarding cellphones, WiFi, and other technologies, citing concerns that electromagnetic radiation may pose health risks.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking public feedback on the health effects of electromagnetic fields, radiofrequency radiation, and wireless radiation exposure as part of the Make America Healthy Again agenda.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Kennedy stated in a press release that the MAHA Commission strategy report, authorized by President Donald Trump, directed his agency to investigate the health effects of wireless technology based on claims that exposure to such technology could lead to health issues, including cancer.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Wireless technologies are part of daily life, and our science must keep pace,” Kennedy said. He encouraged “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.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">HHS is specifically seeking public comment on mobile phones, WiFi, wearables, 5G, and smart home devices.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The research project aims to identify critical research gaps and develop science-based recommendations for policymakers, according to the department’s press release. However, it may create tensions with other executive agencies.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates radiofrequency exposure, states on its website that “no scientific evidence establishes a causal link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses” and that “there is no basis on which to establish a different safety threshold than our current requirements.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Recently, the FCC has received thousands of public comments opposing a proposed rule that would limit the authority of state and local governments to regulate wireless infrastructure.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The organization Children’s Health Defense, which Kennedy chaired until 2024, has been involved in litigation against the FCC and has supported state-level regulation of electromagnetic fields.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During a speech at a Children’s Health Defense event in Washington, D.C., Kennedy received support from the audience when discussing the new EMF research project. He referenced a past lawsuit against the FCC, noting that an appeals court had ordered the agency to revise its regulations.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“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.”</p>