ICBE-EMF Letter to Congress and the FCC

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ICBE-EMF Letter to Congress and the FCC Calling to Halt Cell Tower Fast Track Proposal in Light of New Scientific Analysis on Cell Tower and Wireless Radiation Health Risks.

Letter to House and Senate leadership and the Federal Communications Commission warns that newly published peer-reviewed analysis indicates current federal wireless radiation limits may be set hundreds of times too high to protect against cancer risk.

ICBE-EMF – 14may2026

Berkeley, California: The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) just sent a scientific letter to U.S. Senate and House leadership and to the FCC Commissioner challenging federal proposals to allow the densification of cell towers near homes and schools without updating FCC wireless radiation limits. ICBE-EMF maintains that the FCC’s 1996 human exposure limits for the radiofrequency radiation (RF) emitted by cell towers, cell phones, and wireless networks fail to adequately protect the public against cancer and other health effects. Unless Congress and the FCC ensure a formal review that takes into account the most recent scientific evidence, they “would be failing to protect public health,” cautioned the Commission’s scientists, an international consortium of scientists, physicians, and researchers with extensive expertise in the health effects of wireless and other non-ionizing electromagnetic field exposures.

The Commission’s letter specifically highlighted a newly published peer-reviewed paper in the journal Environmental Health by ICBE-EMF scientists Dr. Ronald Melnick, former senior toxicologist with the National Toxicology Program, and Dr. Joel Moskowitz of the University of California, Berkeley. Using results from a $30 million U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) cancer study, the researchers applied standard procedures developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and found that current RF exposure limits are at least 200 times too high to protect the public from cancer risk.

“Our analysis clearly demonstrates that the current FCC and ICNIRP limits for cell phones and wireless networks are structurally incapable of protecting human health. We urgently need governments to step up, abandon these obsolete guidelines, and conduct rigorous risk assessments using modern toxicological data,” stated Dr. Melnick.

The scientists warned that if the FCC moves forward with plans to fast-track cell towers and wireless infrastructure by preempting local government control, as outlined in the FCC’s proposed “Build America: Eliminating Barriers to Wireless Deployments” (NPRM 25-276), without first updating federal exposure limits to reflect the latest scientific research, Americans would effectively become “test subjects in an uncontrolled national radiation experiment, one conducted without consent, without monitoring, and without updated safety limits.”

The ICBE-EMF submitted a comprehensive scientific filing to the FCC in the “Build America: Eliminating Barriers to Wireless Deployments” proceeding, detailing the latest scientific research on wireless radiation health effects, deficiencies in current FCC regulations, and the need for updated science-based protections. ICBE-EMF scientists also sent letters to both House and Senate committees in advance of their FCC oversight hearings calling for independent scientific review and greater oversight and accountability. This new letter expands upon those concerns by incorporating the findings from the latest publication.

The Letter and Documents

New Scientific Publication

Melnick, R.L., Moskowitz, J.M. Exposure limits to radiofrequency EMF do not account for cancer risk or reproductive toxicity assessed from data in experimental animals. Environ Health 25, 42 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-026-01288-6 – Press Release

Previous ICBE-EMF Letters to Congress Regarding the FCC and RF Limits

ICBE-EMF - Cell towers 5G and wireless infrastructure should NOT be fast-tracked as doing so will increase public exposure to RF radiation an environmental exposure that peer-reviewed scientific research has associated with numerous health and environmental harms

Watch a video below of Dr. Ronald Melnick sharing details of the paper when it was first published.

Wireless Radiation Limits Fail to Protect Public Health: New Study Explained by Dr. Ronald Melnick

About the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF)

ICBE-EMF is an international consortium of scientists, doctors, and researchers with expertise and peer-reviewed publications on the biological and health effects of electromagnetic fields, including wireless RF radiation. Wireless devices such as cell phones, cordless phones, Wi-Fi, and cell towers emit radiofrequency radiation. The Commission is committed to upholding the highest standards of scientific research and makes science-based recommendations to ensure the protection of the public and the environment. ICBE-EMF.org