Over the past three decades, there has been a near tripling of thyroid cancer cases, both within the U.S. and globally. In fact, the rapid rise in thyroid cancer cases is expected to rank it as the fourth most common cancer worldwide by 2030. A study from 2017 revealed a 3% yearly increase in thyroid cancer cases in the U.S. from 1974 to 2013, with the researchers asserting that this data suggests a genuine surge in the U.S. thyroid cancer rates.
Furthermore, the study indicated that this surge is largely attributed to the growth in papillary thyroid cancer cases, which originates in the follicular cells responsible for producing and storing thyroid hormones. Approximately 80% of all thyroid cancers are of the papillary type.
The Role of Cell Phones
A 2013 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association argues that the surge in thyroid cancer isn’t merely because of enhanced diagnosis or increased screening but is likely influenced by environmental triggers. Notably, mounting scientific data from both human and animal research indicates that the non-ionizing radiofrequency (RF) radiation from cell phones and Wi-Fi may be causing harm to the thyroid. Researchers from Scandinavia have highlighted that papillary thyroid cancers are especially vulnerable to radiation.
A staggering 97% of American adults possess a cell phone as of recent data. In 2019, a study from Yale indicated that individuals with prolonged, intense cell phone usage faced heightened thyroid cancer risks. The risk was notably higher for those who had utilized cell phones for over fifteen years, more than two hours daily, or had a larger overall usage duration. Moreover, those who had made the most calls throughout their life showed a heightened risk. Men with over fifteen years of cell phone usage faced more than double the risk of thyroid cancer in comparison to non-users. Simultaneously, women who used cell phones for over two hours daily experienced a 52% higher thyroid cancer risk than those who didn’t use cell phones.
In an early 2020 study led by several of the same Yale scientists, the research showed that individuals possessing certain genetic anomalies faced over double the risk of thyroid cancer from cell phone use compared to those without these variations. Upon analyzing 176 genes, they pinpointed ten variations (known as single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPs) that, in the presence of cell phone usage, seemed to escalate the risk of thyroid cancer in a statistically significant manner (p < 0.01).
In 2018, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the U.S. government unveiled the outcomes of a two-year research on the effects of cell phone radiation on rats and mice. The intent was to determine the potential cancer and health risks associated with 2G and 3G cell phone radiation exposure.10 These technologies utilized GSM (Global System for Mobiles) or CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) network systems. The NTP findings highlighted a significant rise in C-cell hyperplasia (an abnormal cellular growth) in female rats exposed to GSM-modulated RF radiation. A similar trend was observed in male rats, although it was not statistically significant. It’s worth noting that C-cell hyperplasia is often seen as an early sign of a genetic form of thyroid cancer known as medullary thyroid carcinoma. Some experts even posit that this could be an initial stage for other thyroid cancers.
Reviewing the period between 1970 and 2017, Scandinavian scientists identified a marked rise in thyroid cancer incidents over the years for both men and women in Sweden and other Nordic nations And again, it was affirmed that this surge wasn’t due to better diagnosis techniques. Instead, cell phones and DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) cordless phones were suggested as potential contributors. The growth rate of thyroid cancer in Swedish women saw a substantial jump from 2010-2017, with an annual growth of 9.65%. Similarly, Swedish men experienced the highest annual rise of 5.26% from 2001-2017. When examining all Nordic nations from 1970-2016, the most notable growth was found in the last decade: 5.83% for women (2006–2016) and 5.48% for men (2005–2016).
Drawing conclusions from their findings, the researchers stated that the patterns strongly hint at an external carcinogenic agent that has seen increased exposure over time. The advent of wireless phones in the 1980s in Nordic nations was highlighted, pointing to the RF radiation from these devices as a major factor of concern. They emphasized the fact that these devices expose the thyroid gland, located near the antenna, to RF radiation, alongside other regions of the head and neck.
Wireless Evolution
The persistent upward trajectory of thyroid cancer incidence, showing no signs of slowing, suggests the environmental cause is also unrelenting. Undeniably, the usage of wireless technologies has been on the rise since their inception in the 1980s. Today, nearly all American adults and a vast majority of children are users of cell phones and other wireless gadgets. The popularity of tablets and laptops soared after the introduction of Wi-Fi to consumers in 1997.
This ever-growing number of cell phone users necessitates an equivalent increase in cell phone towers to ensure service coverage. Data from a 2020 survey by the wireless industry association, CTIA, highlighted a more than threefold growth in U.S. cell towers from 2001 to 2019, surging from around 127,000 to over 395,000.
In recent years, our home environments have undergone significant technological shifts. Circa 2014, there was an onset of incorporating public Wi-Fi hotspots into residential modem/routers, resulting in at least eighteen million of such hotspots scattered across U.S. residential and commercial premises. Furthermore, we’ve seen the ubiquity of wireless devices like baby monitors and an uptick in “smart” wireless gadgets post the debut of the “smart” TV in 2008. Today, our homes boast wireless doorbells, security systems, personal assistants, meters, and a plethora of “smart” appliances. In transportation, cars have been equipped with radar since the early ’90s, and now, it’s pretty much a standard feature. Moreover, wearable wireless technology, such as smartwatches and health trackers, has gained tremendous popularity.
2019 heralded the era of 5G, poised to tether everything to the Internet of Things, with an upcoming phase geared towards the Internet of Bodies. To support 5G, there’s a pressing need to install a multitude of “small cell” antennas, which are being strategically positioned on streetlights and utility poles, often close to homes and pedestrian pathways. In urban locales, 5G taps into the millimeter-wave portion of the spectrum, a domain primarily reserved for military applications in the past. These shorter waves have limited range and building penetration, unlike the lower-frequency bands (600 and 700 MHz) employed in rural settings. Irrespective of the spectrum slice, 5G’s operational dynamics have raised concerns about the potential health impacts arising from wireless radiation, especially when combined with other environmental toxins. On the horizon is 6G, a junction where biology intertwines with Artificial Intelligence, accompanied by advanced technologies like brain-embedded RF chips.
Beyond RF EMFs, there’s also the emission of extremely low frequencies (ELF) ranging between 3 to 3000 Hz from all wireless channels, chiefly in the guise of pulsing and modulation. Significant data suggests that the chief detrimental effects on living beings from wireless mechanisms emanate from this ELF pulsing and modulation.
Human and Animal Research Insights
Numerous studies involving humans and animals have highlighted the deleterious impact on the thyroid from cell phone and Wi-Fi radiation exposure. A 2012 research, which monitored participants for six years, unearthed long-lasting influences on thyroid and several other hormones due to both cell phone usage and proximity (within 500 meters) to a cell tower. There was a notable decline in hormone levels like thyroid hormones T3 and T4, adrenal gland hormones ACTH and cortisol, and reproductive hormones progesterone and testosterone in those exposed to radiation compared to their non-exposed counterparts.
South Indian medical student research showcased a definitive link between overall cell phone radiation exposure and elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (p=0.025).
Another 2009 research, echoed similar findings, revealing increased TSH levels in medical students frequenting cell phones compared to those who didn’t—once more, a statistically significant difference (p<0.05).
In 2015, a Spanish study delved into the alterations in rat thyroid gland structures after exposure to 2.45 GHz radiofrequency, the common carrier frequency in Wi-Fi, for thirty minutes. The research was geared towards understanding both immediate and accumulated impacts over two weeks.20 The exposure levels were set below the thermal thresholds and also beneath the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) permissible limit. The investigation spotlighted changes in the expression levels of heat shock protein 90 (HSP-90) in the thyroid. Such proteins are typically produced by cells under stressful conditions, and HSP-90 has an inhibitory effect against thyroid cancer. In this study, as radiation levels surged, HSP-90 expression dwindled.20
Statistical analysis from the study underlined a clear increase in the size of the follicular cells of the exposed thyroid glands compared to those unexposed. This difference was pronounced even at exposure levels way below the FCC’s stipulated limit. When contrasted with non-radiated animals, those exposed showcased a significant enlargement in their thyroid follicular diameters (p = 0.008 and p = 0.043, respectively) (as seen in Figure 4).
Diverse Frequency Impacts
Previous research has echoed consistent outcomes. In 2010, a team from Turkey discovered that subjecting rats to pulse-modulated 900 MHz cellular radiation (with an SAR of 1.35 W/kg) for a span of twenty minutes daily over three weeks led to detrimental alterations in the thyroid gland. This exposure disrupted the gland’s structural integrity, initiated hypothyroidism, and suppressed the release of thyroid hormones. (It’s noteworthy that cell phones available in the U.S. must adhere to an SAR threshold of 1.6 W/kg.) The cellular radiation-exposed rats manifested enlarged follicle dimensions in their thyroid glands relative to their sham-exposed and cage-maintained counterparts, registering a significance of (p<0.001). Their colloid sizes also increased significantly (p<0.001). The study proposed that the surge in reactive oxygen species (ROS) coupled with excessive cellular calcium ion influx might be pivotal in morphological thyroid changes and activation of thyroid cellular pathways connected to caspases (enzymes critical for regulated cellular demise). Further, a collaborative study in 2006 by Swedish and Serbian scholars highlighted thyroid tissue alterations upon exposure to ELF frequencies at 50 Hz (as represented in Figure 5).
Ubiquitous Exposure
The last three decades have witnessed a staggering rise in environmental RF radiation levels. This trend seems poised to escalate, particularly if the larger populace remains uninformed about the non-thermal health repercussions of RF and persists in the unrestrained utilization of wireless tech solutions.
Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Trends
In the U.S. and many other nations, kids are introduced to cell phones at an early age. By the age of eleven, over half (53%) of American children are already smartphone owners, and this percentage jumps to 84 by adolescence Recognizing the fact that children are also passively exposed to a spectrum of non-ionizing radiations from electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in their day-to-day environment, a set of researchers highlighted in 2015 the alarming number of studies pointing to heightened risks of cancers, blood-related issues, and cognitive disruptions. Additionally, these studies touched upon the potential consequences of EMFs on thyroid functions, adrenal hormone levels, glucose stability, and melatonin levels. Drawing attention to these studies, the authors expressed growing concerns, stating, “the accumulating evidence about EMF hazards for children is troubling.”
Given this backdrop, it’s not unexpected to learn that thyroid cancer is rapidly increasing among children. In a 2018 report presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they noted a rise in the incidence of five distinct cancer types in individuals below the age of twenty from 2001 to 2014. Yet, thyroid cancers took the lead. The annual growth rate for pediatric thyroid cancers during these years was 4.8%, compared to liver cancers at 2.5%, non-Hodgkin lymphomas at 1.2%, kidney tumors at 0.6%, and central nervous system cancers at 0.4%. In comparison, the average yearly growth rate for all pediatric cancers during this timeframe was 0.7%.