Mobile phone and phone tower radiation harms the body
February 14, 2026
Australian and Indian researchers have found new evidence that radiofrequency (wireless) radiation emitted by both mobile phones and base stations exerts a stress response and causes immune system changes that could adversely affect health.
‘Our study is significant because it provides objective evidence that radiofrequency radiation is stressing the body and can help explain the symptoms and health problems that have been linked with mobile phone use and living near a mobile phone tower over the past three decades,’ said Dr Julie McCreden, a coauthor of the study and President of the Oceania Radiofrequency Scientific Advisory Association Inc.
To determine how this radiation was affecting the body, the researchers compared blood samples from two groups of people: the most exposed group, living within 60m of a mobile phone base station in Aizawl, India, and the less exposed group, living more than 300m away. They also collected data about mobile phone use, gender, age, smoking, years of residence and conduced measurements of radiation levels in each home.
Key findings
- People living within 60m of a base station were exposed to more radiation (an average of 4.6 mW/m2) than those living 300m or more away (an average of 0.05 mW/m2).
- People were spending four to six hours using their mobile phones each day – more time than observed in previous studies.
- Exposure to radiation from mobile phones and from base stations affected the blood, particularly white blood cells, in different ways.
- Daily mobile phone use was associated with ‘concerning’ effects on lymphocytes – which are important for immunity – particularly in people aged under 30 years.
‘Overall, the results…suggest that long-term and high mobile phone use together with higher MPBS [mobile phone base station] exposures created stress responses and immune system change,’ the authors said.
Dr McCredden told EMR Australia, ‘This study adds to the picture of how people's immune systems are under siege from both chemical toxins and from EMFs in the modern world. The effects on our younger people under 30 is of great concern to me and should be of great concern to our policy makers.’
Significantly, the study showed that harmful effects on the blood occurred at levels of exposure lower than international (ICNIRP) guidelines and the Indian [and Australian] standards. ‘[B]iological effects were still found on residents living close by to MPBS at levels 100 times lower than these safety limits’, the authors wrote.
What can be done?
‘Safety guidelines for the roll out of MPBS, and education on prudent use of mobile phones need to be developed as a priority for public safety,’ the authors said.
Laldinpuii, Sailo, L., Weller, S., Varte, C. L., Tochhawng, L., Bandara, P., … Zothansiama. (2026). Effects of exposure to nearby mobile phone base stations and mobile phone usage on human blood parameters. Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 1–20.
What is your exposure?
How much wireless radiation are you exposed to from your mobile phone tower and/or mobile phone towers in your neighbourhood?
Find out with our handy ENV RD-10 AU meter, individually calibrated in Australia.
As well as wireless radiation, it measures electric and magnetic fields from electrical sources. You can see more here.