Cancer & tumors

Submitted Oct 13, 2026 Comment submitted by Dr Karl Maret regarding Request for Information on EMFs, RF and Wireless Radiation Exposure and its Impact on Health published in the Federal Register Vol 91, No 181 dated September 21, 2026. I am offering my expert opinion on the current danger of wireless radiation in today’s increasingly radio frequency and microwave radiation environment including sources from cell towers and antennas, WiFi and wireless transmitters, wireless devices in the home and office environment, cell phones and other cordless phones, and wireless smart meters. These wireless transmitters typically operate at present between 800 Megahertz (MHz) and 5 Gigahertz GHz), with new devices now coming into use with the latest 5G technologies that are capable of operating between 2.4 and 95 GHz using very short wavelengths called millimeter waves. This comment is in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Request for Information on EMFs, RF and Wireless Radiation Exposure and its Impact on Health published in the Federal Register Vol 91, No 181 dated September 21, 2026. I have given expert testimony regarding the dangers of this type of radio frequency radiation (RFR) based on my background as an electrical engineer, biomedical engineer and medical doctor who has also completed also a post-doctoral fellowship in physiology and served as a Bioscience Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. Details of my background and contact information can be found in the longer Word document attached to this comment. Since the 1996 Telecommunications Act that established the U.S. nation-wide cellular communications network, there have been essentially no new health protection standards implemented to protect the general population despite massive research studies showing evidence of harm to the general population. Especially problematic is Radio Frequency Radiation that comes from transmitters close to the body as well as high powered transmitters from cell towers and antennas, microwave transmitters covering schools, housing projects and apartment complexes where the transmitters are often hidden in ceilings and walls. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is charged with protecting the public, has exposure standards that are principally suitable for short-term exposure and only those that concern heating or thermal effects while ignoring any long-term exposure and non-thermal effects that are now the norm. The widespread proliferation of this technology now in its 5th generation of development (5G), is viewed by hundreds of scientists throughout the world as hazardous to human welfare. The United States has one of the highest exposure guidelines in the developed world which is hundreds of times higher than permitted in other countries including China, Eastern European countries and Russia which have studied the long-term health effects of these RF radiations and chosen to protect their populations appropriately. We have known of the adverse health effects for at least five decades with thousands of studies demonstrating an increased incidence of brain tumors (gliomas, acoustic neuromas, glioblastomas and pituitary tumors) in addition to thyroid and parotid gland tumors. Breast cancers have been demonstrated in young women exactly at the multiple antenna sites who carried their cell phones inside their bras. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organization (WHO), has classified electromagnetic radiation as a Class 2B possible carcinogen in 2011 based on numerous scientific studies. My full comment and a brief summary of my past experience and qualifications are attached in the Word file attached as well as 2 PDFs of presentations that substantiate my concerns about the adverse health effects of long-term EMFs and the wireless radiation. I am writing this comment both as a past expert, a healthcare provider, and a very concerned living man who has observed great suffering from many electrosensitive people during 30 years of healthcare practice. Dr. Karl Maret cell (831) 539-3255 and email soniclight@ebold.com

I have serious headaches around cell towers since my son went to kindergarten, where by their classroom, there are not one, but two, cell towers sitting right next to the kindergarten classroom, close to the children's playground. After dropping off my son there for a period of time, I started having headaches whenever I was at the playground waiting for him to go into the classroom. The headache would stay with me while I drove back home, and when I was home, the headache would almost be gone. When I tried to get to the cell towers to get some readings from an RF meter, my head hurt severely and I couldn't get any closer to the cell towers anymore. I got sensitivity to EMF whenever I'm close to some kind of radiation since then. Like when I went to a restaurant and I noticed my head hurts, I would turn around and found a smart TV right behind me. Or when I went to a friend's house/ clinic/ fast food chain/ wherever I go, and I noticed that my head hurt, I would find the Wifi router right above me/ very close to me, and sometimes even behind a wall. Since Wifi and cellphone technologies are getting more advanced, my head hurts a lot more frequently, even at home. I had to switch Internet Service Provider because my head hurts so much with the High-Speed 5G Internet, and opt for a slower one. I also have to set the Wifi band to 2.4 Ghz instead of 5 Ghz, and put it inside a metal box in order to reduce the Wifi radiation as much as possible. I have to turn off Wifi at night before I sleep, or else I'll have headaches all night. I can't control my neighbors' Wifi, but I can feel which part of the house has stronger signals with my headaches (and confirmed with a RF meter), and try to stay away from those areas if I could. Last but not least, I have a meningioma in my head, although it's calcified, it's continually growing, and the growth of the meningioma could be related to those increasingly strong exposures. Many scientific research studies had shown links to EMF/ RF exposure to brain tumors, which would be especially harmful to children. Attached with this comment are pictures of the cell towers in the elementary school (Knox Gifted Academy in Chandler, AZ), and pictures of my brain meningioma scans. The elementary school mentioned is part of Chandler Unified School District, and although quite a number of parents contacted the superintendent back then about the risks and harmful concerns on our children, they argued that there is no proof for these concerns, and they’re completely safe. I saw cell towers all over the district schools, and so are the other school districts in the valley. This is simply not the right thing to do for any school districts to put cell towers in their school grounds just for more funding. Even if there’s the slightest chance that these EMF infrastructures could harm the children, teachers and people around, this shouldn’t be done in the first place, let alone planting them all over school districts. I truly hope that with this nationwide request for collecting experiences and expertise from regular citizens and experts could help our country, the greatest in the world, to lead the world to do the right thing. The next step for the technology will be 6G, and it will only be more powerful and destructive to the human race at the same time. Please don’t repeat the mistake and harm done as 5G was enrolled, to race and chase after the fame of the world’s fastest to get to the technology, at the expense of the whole country’s health. We’re digging graves for ourselves and this would be irreversible. Thank you very much for “Making American Healthy Again”!!!

We lived 560 ft from three macro cell towers in Moorpark, CA, right off of Tierra Rejada near Brookhurst. In the home that we lived in, our family of six experienced ear ringing, vertigo, heart palpitations, and headaches. We measured the distance of our home from the three macro towers from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Other neighbors had also experienced issues. Four of our neighbors who were closer to the cell towers ended up getting leukemia and cancer. These eventually passed. We had several city council meetings at the City of Moorpark addressing our concerns. The city said that the towers were to be present according to the Brown Act, which required telecommunications to be available to the community should there be an emergency. We stated that sufficient telecommunications had been available with the previous versions of 1G and 2G, but with the advancement of telecommunications allowing for higher levels of data for video and internet service, there was a stronger signal that was posing health risks to homes. Our plea to move the towers was ignored, and other towers were placed near homes. At Peach Hill Rd., another tower was placed near a family home, which was 45 ft from the home and 12 ft from the child's playhouse. This was not acceptable. This family also began to experience symptoms as our family had. This family also approached the Moorpark City Council in July of 2017 and December of 2020. This family's concerns were also ignored, stating the Brown Act. Other cities such as the City of Malibu and the City of Calabasas had ordinances in place to allow safe placement of cell towers from homes, but Moorpark does not. This concern was ignored. There are other homes in the area that have been at risk for health effects, such as homes that are near the Verizon tower on Tierra Rejada in Moorpark. One home is only 50 ft from the tower. Other homes close as well. A person should be allowed to live peacefully in their home without outside intervention. What we and others have had to endure living in a home where we were bombarded day and night with EMF, which caused symptoms that should not have occurred. We were unfairly driven from our home to be in a healthier environment, which our City was telling us was safe and not an issue at all. While we are not opposed to telecommunications, we are in favor of safe telecommunications where equipment is placed safely away from homes. Our experience has been heartbreaking, as we felt that we were driven from our home to be at a safe location where we and our children could be healthier. We ask that the United States government look into this issue and to provide regulations to the telecom companies as to where they can place their equipment. Equipment should not invade homes but should be placed at safe distances. If airports and fire departments are protected from unsafe placement of telecom equipment, why can't homes where people live for many hours. Something needs to change to help.

We don’t know for sure the long term effect of RF and EMF in human’s brain activity; DNA delicate balance; nervous system equilibrium; vital organs electro activity field e.g. heart; Immune System sensitivity to Towers Radiation, and all other things we don’t know. Also, some rare form of Cancer, Tumors, and Homeostatic Abnormalities related to high exposure to RF and EMF emitted to 5.G Towers.

Diagnosed with a Giant Cell Tumor in 2023 at my distal right femoral condyle approximately 3 cm spherical bone mass. I had been carrying my cell phone in my right pants leg pocket that ended approximately 5 cm from the where the tumor was discovered. I have been healthy to date. Got the Johnson & Johnson Covid shot in 2021 as forced to keep my job. Is the tumor coincidence or is there a cause and effect? I’m 65 years old. Giant Cell Tumors typically are limited to younger people.

• U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP): A $30 million large-scale rodent study reported "clear evidence" of malignant schwannomas in the hearts of male rats exposed to high levels of 2G/3G radiofrequency radiation (RFR), alongside some evidence of brain gliomas and DNA damage in certain tissues. • Ramazzini Institute: A large rodent study mirrored findings from the NTP, observing similar heart and brain tumor increases at lower exposure levels that closely mimic environmental cell tower exposures. • Cellular and DNA Research: Multiple in vitro and animal studies (including reviews indexed via PubMed) suggest that RF radiation can increase oxidative stress, trigger cellular inflammation, or cause single- and double-strand DNA breaks under specific experimental conditions. Here are two studies, one from the National Cancer Institute and the other from the National Institute for Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6701402/ https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/cell-phones-fact-sheet

There has been a major increase and cluster of DIPG cases in Southeastern, Kentucky. It is a type of incurable brain cancer that is taking the lives of children in this area. It has been reported and requested that it be investigated. Aside from specifically DIPG, this area also has a very high rate of childhood cancers that is concerning for environmental exposures being the culprit.

My13 year old son developed Osteosarcoma on his femur after a year of sleeping with his knee up against a wall that had an aquarium pump attached to the power point behind the wall. When I bought an EMF reader it read at between 1.4 and 9 ut on the MAG setting at the point where his knee would rest against the wall. The aquarium pump itself read off the meter, higher than that meter could read. I can’t help but think that this exposure helped “kick off” the mutation in his leg. He had no other environmental exposure that I know of.

I am writing as an individual. A mother, a neighbor. Almost every woman on my block with a cell tower has had a glandular tumor or cancer. (2 salivary tumors, 2 breast, bone) . Brain fog, ability to recall words is a common complaint. I would like there to be more studies on this.

There is a lot of available information on this topic. For example... "Biological effects of cell tower radiation on human body": Continuous exposure to microwave radiations from Cell phone towers, TV and FM towers cause serious health problems over the years. Microwave radiation effects are classified as-thermal and non-thermal. The current exposure safety standards are mainly based on the thermal effects, which are inadequate. Measurements have been carried out at various places near the cell towers and it has been found that the radiation levels are very high. This paper reviews various epidemiological and experimental studies, which show significant biological effects far below the current standards. Also, the details of Radiation Shield are given, which consists of orthogonally polarized multiple broad band monopole antennas to absorb the undesired radiation (Neha Kumar, Girish Kumar ISMOT, Delhi, India, 678-679, 2009). "Evaluation study of radio frequency radiation effects from cell phone towers on human health": The presence of a large number of cell phone towers on the roofs of buildings inside cities raises several questions about whether the radiated electromagnetic frequency (EMF) and power spectrum density (PSD) affect the population even if the towers were installed based on the exiting conditions and standards in the cities. This paper aims to answer all these ambiguous questions by measuring the emitted EMF from the local towers built in a small city of Al-Kut in Iraq. This study was set to investigate the health impact of EMF radiation from the cell phone towers and determine how this EMF effects on the human immunity to diseases. The practical measurements were obtained using the EMF meter and the global positioning system (GPS) and employing the geographical information system (GIS). In this paper, two study groups were selected. The first one lived in the area with three installed towers at distance of 50–100 m between them. The second group resided in the area where towers were installed outside its borders at distances of more than 500 m. The results show that the first group suffers from a health problem much more than the second one. In addition, a high percentage of residences were the most educated, but the less knowledgeable people about EMF radiation impacts at long-term exposure, a fact that can be attributed to the academic curriculum deficiency. Therefore, the study has recommended integrating environmental concepts in the governmental institutions and organizations for all mature persons, irrespective of their academic qualification, to increase people’s awareness about this topic (Radioelectronics and Communications Systems 64 (3), 155-164, 2021). "Journal of Pediatrics Research Reviews & Reports": academia.edu Journal of Pediatrics Research Reviews & Reports Iyyanki Muralikrishna, Prisilla Jayanthi The universal study reveals that Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) exposure is upsetting the environment. It focuses keenly on the people residing in the neighboring of the base stations/mobile towers were affected by environmental radiation pollution. The effect of EMF radiation on human life is unusually increasing on dayto-day basis. As the number of customers using mobiles rises, one would see the mobile phone towers/base trans-receiver station (BTS) increases; and this has a great and huge impact on radiation hazards. Mobile phones have the capability of emitting radiations that would affect human tissues and it runs a two-way communication paradigm. Radio Frequency (RF) wave establishes communication around the globe in the mobile network. However, the radiations emitted by RF waves are harmful if absorbed into the human tissues. The most side effects experienced when nearer to these towers are headaches, discomfort, anxiety and other diseases. The radiation hazards are found to be extraordinarily more where the cell towers were installed nearer to educational institutes, healthcare and few residential areas. They were recommended to move/stay away from such areas, the radiations can cause tumors, disturbance of the nervous system and other diseases. The study is to understand the radiation exposure limits that would protect the public health from the EMF exposure. RF radiations were mapped by geographic information system (GIS) based measuring approach that helps in detecting places where users are in health hazards in exposed areas. This helps government and health organization to estimate the distribution of radiation in areas nearer to the location of mobile towers. Realization among the people was made to live and spend less time based on the radiation levels of exposure with the mobile towers. The analysis was carried out by STATA software to measure the poisson exposure of confidence interval (Muralikrishna).