Devra Davis

Davis' 2002 book, When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against Pollution, describes how environmental toxins are linked to cancers and other health problems.[23] She provides accounts of the 1948 Donora smog in her hometown, the 1952 Great Smog of London, and other events.[24] She also criticizes industry interests who dismiss evidence they dislike as "junk science."[25] The book was a finalist for that year's National Book Award for Nonfiction.[26] Public health philosopher Kristin Shrader-Frechette praised it as "the best book on public health and environmental pollution of the last 30 years."[27] Science writer Fred Pearce in New Scientist called Davis a "a hero with a nose for trouble" and drew comparisons to Rachel Carson, the author of Silent Spring.[28] Other writers have compared and Davis and Carson, both in their styles and themes of writing and their small town Pennsylvania upbringings.[25][11][29][30][31] Epidemiologist Bert Brunekreef wrote the book is "at its best when describing how commercial interests have harassed well known environmental health scientists in attempts to downplay the seriousness of, say, the effects of environmental lead on the IQ of children," but found "an alarming number of errors" regarding air pollution.[32]

Davis' second book, The Secret History of the War on Cancer, was published in 2007.[33][34] In it, she argues medical institutions involved in the "war on cancer" have focused more on cures then prevention, and that some safety research into environmental toxicity is conflicted due to funding from companies who make products suspected of causing harm.[9] James Huff, associate director for chemical carcinogenesis of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, called it "exhaustively researched and deftly written, illuminat[ing] more of the truth about chemicals and cancer and the relatively simple means of preventing or reducing cancer burdens."[35] Epidemiologist Richard Clapp called the book "a welcome addition to the struggle to correct the imbalance" between curative and preventative research,[36] while science writer Fred Pearce wrote it "is a rattling good read and raises vital issues that remain relevant today."[37] In a positive review, science journalist Dan Fagin called Davis "her generation's strongest advocate of the idea that synthetic chemicals are a seriously under-recognized cause of cancer."[38] Medical historian Peter Keating, however, found the book "largely unoriginal" and poorly organized.[39] Epidemiologist Peter Boyle wrote that "devotees of conspiracy theories and aficionados of gossip and innuendo will be drawn towards this book like wasps to a juicy piece of meat" and discussed how the book suggested that the link between tobacco and cancer was used to distract from other possible sources.[40]

In 2007 Davis founded the Environmental Health Trust (EHT),[1] a nonprofit with the goal of promoting awareness of environmental issues it believes are linked to cancer.[41] The EHT campaigns for safer cell phone use,[42] and has challenged research that finds no links between cellular phones and cancer,[41][43] advocated for more research into the effects of wireless radiation on children,[4] and called on the US federal government to reassess its safety guidelines for wireless technology.[44]

Davis has been called a "crusader in the fight over cell phone safety".[4] She claims that radiation from mobile phones and WiFi pose health risks including increases in cancer, but her claims are disputed by other cancer researchers and organizations including the US National Cancer Institute and Cancer Council Australia.[42][45][7][21] She claims much research that finds no effects is industry-funded and biased.[46][47] She summarized her research into health effects of cell phones in her 2010 book, Disconnect: The Truth about Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family.[48][49] She has cited the World Health Organization's 2011 classification of wireless radiation as a class 2B agent (possibly carcinogenic to humans), a group which also includes pickles and Aloe vera.[46][44][21] Critics of Davis have accused her of cherry-picking evidence and misrepresenting the studies upon which her conclusions were drawn,[46][50] while the EHT has been accused of promoting low quality sources.[51]

Davis was featured prominently in a controversial 2016 episode of the Australian TV program Catalyst, in which she claimed "every single well-designed study ever conducted finds an increased risk of brain cancer with the heaviest users [of mobile phones]".[52][53][45] The episode drew heavy criticism from researchers, and Davis' claims were refuted by public health scholar Simon Chapman, who claims there is no evidence of increase brain cancer rates in Australians, as well as Rodney Croft, a commissioner with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, who called the views of Davis "a fringe position that is not supported by science."[45]

Davis claims that radiation from 5G wireless technology poses health risks,[5][22] and BBC Radio 4 has called Davis one of the most influential scientists in 5G-opposition movements.[21] An excerpt of a lecture by Davis was used by new-age conspiracy promoter Sacha Stone in his 2020 film 5G Apocalypse: Extinction Event.[54]

In 2021, the EHT and other groups filed a lawsuit asserting the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) failed to consider new scientific evidence when deciding in 2019 not to update its safety guidelines for cellular phone and cellular tower radiation, which had not been updated since 1996. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the EHT and plaintiffs, finding the FCC "failed to provide a reasoned explanation for its determination that its guidelines adequately protect against the harmful effects of exposure to radiofrequency radiation unrelated to cancer."[55][56][57]