In August of 2021, Environmental Health Trust (EHT) won a groundbreaking court case against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding their failure to update the 1996 exposure limits for wireless radiation from cell phones, cell towers, and wireless devices. EHT experts have been outspoken about the FCC’s outdated limits, which have put Americans at risk, especially with new 5G technologies.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the FCC’s 2019 decision to maintain the same safety limits for human exposure to wireless radiation was “arbitrary and capricious.” The FCC has ignored pleas from scientists, doctors and organizations to update the limits on RF radiation.
The court found that the FCC has failed to respond to evidence that exposure to RF radiation at levels below current limits may cause negative health effects unrelated to cancer. According to the court, the FCC has not addressed the impacts of RF radiation on children, wildlife, the environment, the developing brain, and reproduction. Additionally, the FCC ignored statements on the record of nearly 200 people who have experienced illness or injury caused by exposure to EMR.
The FCC has overlooked the thousands of pages of scientific evidence from decades worth of studies submitted by EHT and other authorities. The court ruling requires the FCC to provide a “reasoned record of review” of this evidence before deciding to either maintain or update their guidelines.
This case is an important milestone for public health in the United States. Agencies such as the FCC and the FDA have failed to demonstrate reasonable decision making by coming to conclusions without transparency as to how they determine safety standards. This case proves that the agencies we rely on for public health and safety outright ignore scientific evidence when determining guidelines.
To read EHT’s breakdown of the court case against the FCC please click here.
