âť“WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a new study into the potential health effects of cellphone radiation.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: HHS, President Donald J. Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” Commission, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and various federal agencies.
đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The study was recently announced, with older federal webpages on the topic being quietly removed.
🎯IMPACT: The study aims to address gaps in scientific knowledge, though it contrasts with positions held by many major scientific and regulatory bodies.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a study to examine possible health effects linked to cellphone radiation, signaling a shift from earlier federal messaging that emphasized the supposed safety of wireless devices. HHS said the research will focus on electromagnetic radiation and human health, with the goal of identifying gaps in scientific knowledge, particularly as it relates to “newer technologies.” Agency spokesman Andrew Nixon said older federal webpages asserting that cellphones are safe were removed because those conclusions are now considered “outdated.”
The effort was ordered by President Donald J. Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Commission and reflects a broader policy direction under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As part of that approach, HHS has pointed to actions taken at the state level, noting that 22 states have enacted restrictions on cellphone use in schools to support children’s health.
The move marks a departure from long-standing positions held by many federal agencies. While the Food and Drug Administration, which operates under HHS, has taken down webpages previously dismissing potential risks from cellphone use, other agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), continue to state that existing evidence does not demonstrate a causal link between cellphone radiation and cancer. However, those agencies do acknowledge that continued research is warranted.
Kennedy has long argued that wireless radiation poses serious health risks. Before joining the Trump administration, he represented plaintiffs who claimed cellphone use caused brain tumors and served as chairman of the advocacy group Children’s Health Defense. He has also been involved in legal challenges to FCC radiation exposure standards.
Since becoming HHS secretary, Kennedy has advanced a range of health policy changes aligned with the MAHA agenda. These include a sweeping reorganization of federal health agencies to create a new Administration for a Healthy America, efforts to ban synthetic food dyes from the U.S. food supply, and changes to federal vaccine policy. In late 2025, a reconstituted CDC advisory panel backed by Kennedy voted to end the long-standing recommendation that newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine on the day of birth, shifting the decision to parents and physicians.
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