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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a study on whether radiation from cellphones could harm Americans’ health.

“The FDA removed web pages with old conclusions about cellphone radiation while HHS undertakes a study on electromagnetic radiation and health research to identify gaps in knowledge, including on new technologies, to ensure safety and efficacy,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The study is part of a strategy report released last year by President Donald Trump’s MAHA Commission, Nixon added.

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The report urges officials to address electromagnetic radiation (EMR) exposure stemming from the widespread use of cellphones, Wi-Fi routers, cell towers and wearable, such as smartwatches.

In 2018, the National Institutes of Health did a study concluding there is “clear evidence” that high exposure to radio frequency radiation (RFR) was associated with cancer in male rats.

“In our studies, rats and mice received RFR across their whole bodies. By contrast, people are mostly exposed in specific local tissues close to where they hold the phone,” said senior scientist John Bucher at the time.

Bucher added, “The exposure levels and durations in our studies were greater than what people experience.”

The study did not investigate the RFR that is used for Wi-Fi or 5G networks.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told USA TODAY on Friday that “electromagnetic radiation is a major health concern,” adding that he is “very concerned about it.”

A spokesperson for CTIA, the mobile carrier industry trade group, told Fox News Digital there is no credible evidence linking wireless devices to health problems.

“Radiofrequency energy from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, mobile phones and wireless infrastructure has not been shown to cause health problems, according to the consensus of the international scientific community and independent expert organizations around the world,” said the spokesperson.

The World Health Organization has noted on its website that research shows “no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies.”

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In the U.S., cellphones must comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limits on radiofrequency (RF) exposure.

The FCC uses a metric called specific absorption rate (SAR), which tracks how much RF energy the body absorbs. To be sold in the U.S., mobile phones and similar wireless devices must be tested and certified to ensure that they do not exceed 1.6 W/kg (watts per kilogram), averaging over 1 gram of tissue.

The FCC states on its website that there is “no scientific evidence currently establishing a definitive link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses.”

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However, the agency does share ways that Americans can reduce exposure — such as shortening the amount of time spent on wireless devices, putting a phone on speaker or using an earpiece “to reduce proximity to the head and thus head exposure.”

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The FCC also recommends increasing the distance between wireless devices and the body, and texting instead of talking when possible.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS and NIH for additional comment, as well as several major cellphone carriers.

A potentially deadly fungus has been spreading throughout Tennessee, health officials have warned.

Over 35 cases of histoplasmosis, a lung infection caused by exposure to the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, have been confirmed in a three-month period in the Murray and Williamson County area, according to numbers presented on Jan. 12 by the Tennessee Department of Health.

A family has also spoken out with claims that one woman died after contracting histoplasmosis, with a positive test result returned two days after her death, according to a local report.

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However, during a briefing at the Williamson County Board of Commissioners, state epidemiologists said an investigation is underway and that the infection has not yet been confirmed as the direct cause of any fatalities.

They also noted that the average age of those infected is 50.

The fungus comes from soil that is contaminated with bird or bat droppings, according to state officials. People are exposed when they breathe in the fungal spores. A single common source has not been identified in the Tennessee outbreak.

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In most cases, people don’t get sick, but there is the potential for histoplasmosis to cause respiratory symptoms, ranging from mild to life-threatening, per the CDC. 

Symptoms of histoplasmosis — which can include fever, cough, extreme fatigue, headache, body aches, chills and chest pain — typically emerge within three to 17 days after exposure to the fungus.

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Because these symptoms are similar to the cold and flu, the condition is often missed or misdiagnosed.

People with weak immune systems are at a higher risk of developing severe illness, which can lead to a long-term lung infection or, in rare cases, meningitis, per the CDC.

While most people do not require treatment, there are antifungal medications for severe cases. Some of the Tennessee patients have been hospitalized and some are “critically ill,” the state officials confirmed during the briefing.

Healthcare providers can confirm the infection by testing blood or urine samples in a lab. Other possible means of testing may include respiratory fluid, X-rays, CT scans or a tissue biopsy.

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To prevent infection, health officials recommend limiting activities where soil is disturbed and to consider wearing masks during “high-risk” outdoor activities.

Before this outbreak, histoplasmosis was a “reportable disease” in only 14 states (Arkansas, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Washington), according to the CDC.

The infection does not spread between humans and cannot be transmitted from humans to animals.

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Anyone who experiences symptoms and believes they have been exposed to the Histoplasma fungus should contact a doctor for testing, especially if antibiotics are not helping.