Professor James Lin tells why we’re not properly protected from wireless radiation - Part 1

August 1, 2025

Would you feel comfortable being exposed to radiofrequency (RF/wireless) radiation from Wi-Fi, mobile phones, phone towers, 5G and other wireless devices if you knew that the standards they complied with were deeply flawed?

The RF radiation protection standards of many countries, including Australia, are based on Guidelines developed by an organisation called ICNIRP (International Commission on NonIonizing Radiation Protection).

In a recent publication, Professor James Lin, one of the world’s leading experts on RF radiation, says that these Guidelines are flawed and don’t protect us adequately from RF exposure.

Heating effects

Lin says that one of the problems of the ICNIRP Guidelines is the amount of radiation to which they allow us to be exposed.

He says, ‘for frequencies between 6 GHz and 300 GHz including 5G cellular mobile communication, the exposure limits allow tissue temperature rises in the human head, limbs, and torso to as high as 5°C. This amount of rise would permit the tissue temperature to increase from a nominal 37°C to a hyperthermic 42°C. A hyperthermic tissue temperature of 42°C is cytotoxic with the potential for exponential cell kills. Furthermore, this level of hyperthermic temperature serves as the medical foundation for treatment of malignant tumors in hyperthermia therapy for cancer.’

Evidence ignored

Lin says that the ICNIRP Guidelines ignore evidence linking RF radiation with harmful effects on the body. This includes two major animal studies – by the National Toxicology Program (USA) and the Ramazzini Institute (Italy) – which both found that exposed rodents had rare malignant cancers and brain tumours (gliomas). In other words, ‘two well-conducted large RF animal studies including life-long exposures of the same rat strain disclosed consistent carcinogenicity effects.’

Lin considers ICNIRP has ignored and undermined studies showing that RF causes harm. ‘The penchant to criticize and deny positive results, and passion for and keenness to accept negative findings, concurrently, are palpable and troubling.’

Other flaws

Lin points out other problems with the ICNIRP Guidelines.

  • They address only the short-term effects of exposure, ignoring the important long-term effects.
  • Not all ICNIRP’s decisions are based on science. For example, Lin says, ‘The decision by ICNIRP in 1998 to choose the SAR value of 2.0 W/kg was not accompanied by any stated scientific rationale or biophysical basis.’
  • The Guidelines treat pulse modulated and continuous wave signals the same way, even though they’re quite different beasts.

‘RF exposure standards and guidelines account only for tissue heating with RF radiation. The recommendations are formulated to prevent short-term heating. They are flawed and are not applicable to long-term, low-level exposures. Instead of advances in science, they are limited by misguided exposure metrics that do not adequately protect children, workers, and the public from exposure to RF radiation or people with sensitivity to RF electromagnetic radiation. The recommendations bypass notable laboratory animal results. They disregarded conclusions by scientific organizations such as IARC. Many of the recommendations are disputed and are absent of scientific justification from the perspective of safety and public health protection. They fail to manage the health risks by not adhering to the three important ICRP principles of radiation protection: justification, optimization, and ALARA—As Low as Reasonably Achievable.’

Lin concludes his assessment by saying, ‘Some of the safety guidelines are irrelevant, debatable, and absent of scientific justification from the standpoint of safety and public health protection.’

Lin JC (2025) Health and safety practices and policies concerning human exposure to RF/ microwave radiation, Front. Public Health 13:1619781, doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1619781

Professor Lin’s impressive professional background and extensive list of qualifications can be seen here.

Would you like your tech to be radiation-free?

Did you know that one of the biggest sources of exposure to radiofrequency radiation is the household modem/router?

We have radiation-free modem/routers for connecting to the internet more safely and you can use them with a landline phone if you choose. You can see more here.

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