The biological effects from laboratory studies reported in scientific peer-reviewed literature include those related to changes in temperature, blood brain barrier, melatonin, calcium efflux, DNA damage and gene expression. However, not all these biological effects have been established or are considered to be health effects. For example, blood brain barrier and melatonin effects have not been consistently replicated. Studies on DNA strand breaks have also failed numerous independent attempts at confirmation and calcium efflux changes are considered to be more of a biological response than an adverse health effect.

Several laboratory studies have looked into whether RF energy can initiate and promote cancer. The overwhelming majority of these studies have found no evidence that RF energy damages DNA or that it is likely to act as an initiator or a promoter of carcinogenesis.