CLUE-H projects presented their work at BioEM

by Silvia Ariccio | Oct 3, 2024 | News

BioEM is the world’s largest and most prestigious bioelectromagnetics conference, and it celebrated its third edition from June 16 to 21, 2024, in Chania, Crete (Greece). This year’s edition was hosted by FORTH-ICS, coordinators of NextGEM, one of the four projects that form CLUE-H alongside ETAIN, GOLIAT and SeaWave. The 3^rd Annual Meeting of Clue-H also took place during this conference.

“The main goal for hosting the BioEM was to give the chance to the community of EMF and health to come together to Crete Island, present the current status of their research work and interact with NextGEM partners and the other partners from CLUE-H projects”, says Dr Nikolaos Petroulakis, NextGEM Project coordinator at FORTH-ICS and local organizing chair of BioEM 2024. “It was a great experience marked by a lot of personal and team effort. Everything went smoothly, and the participants enjoyed the conference and their stay in Chania”, added Dr Petroulakis.

Here a few examples of how each CLUE-H project contributed to BIOEM, feel free to visit the individual project websites to learn more about all their contributions to BIOEM!

Several GOLIAT researchers attended the BioEM conference and presented the latest results in various sessions. The CLUE-H workshop was attended by Dr Gemma Castaño-Vinyals, the project’s scientific manager. She presented the overall objectives of GOLIAT and some preliminary results on exposure monitoring, how the project is investigating neuropsychological effects in young people; she also shared results on the assessment of electrical brain activity during exposure to 5G, and some results on the work package aimed at understanding health effects and risk perception of RF-EMF.

The presentations by GOLIAT researchers were mainly results of the exposure assessment work carried out in different microenvironments in several European countries with different usage modes. In addition, the results of the survey of 4000 young people from Europe were presented, assessing which different communication devices are used and which activities are performed.

Apart from young people, GOLIAT also aims to assess the possible effects of RF-EMF on workers. For this purpose, the project conducted a series of interviews with stakeholders and experts to gain knowledge about the development, implementation and/or use of 5G in Europe. A summary of these interviews was presented, providing an overview of developments specifically related to occupational settings.

Visit GOLIAT website to find out more!

ETAIN researchers presented the latest updates and innovations from the project, focusing on radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and their effects on human and environmental health.

Dr. Anke Huss, ETAIN’s project coordinator, outlined the project’s key objectives: engaging the public on RF-EMF exposure levels and risks, exploring exposure reduction strategies, and developing an approach to assess technology’s impact on planetary health. Tools like the RF-EMF app and dose calculator were highlighted as essential for these goals.

Dr. Martin Röösli, an ETAIN researcher, showcased how the app gives users personalized data on their daily RF-EMF exposure from mobile devices. The dose calculator, already in place, offers insights into users’ exposure patterns, empowering them to make informed decisions about their technology use.

In addition, ETAIN’s research on insects’ RF-EMF exposure, especially honeybee colonies in Greece, was discussed. The researchers detailed a custom 5G-emulating setup and insect monitoring systems that explore how RF-EMF exposure affects biodiversity. The installation, which includes insect traps and honeybee colonies, provides crucial data on how different species respond to RF-EMF over various distances.

ETAIN researchers presented 3D models to study RF-EMF effects on bees and announced updates on the RF-EMF app release. The team also revealed that the ETAIN dose calculator is now available on the project’s website.

Visit ETAIN website to find out more!

NextGem presented six posters at BIOEM, and several NextGEM partners made oral presentations during the event: Dr Mariateresa Allocca (CNR-IREA) presented Cellular effects of radiofrequency exposure to 1950 MHz, LTE signal, in human neuroblastoma cells in combination with menadione; while her colleague at CNR-IREA, Dr Anna Sannino, presented Characterization of a reverberation chamber-based 5G in vitro exposure system: a biological perspective. The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) took part in three more investigations presented by non-NextGEM partners, too.

The Workshop sessions counted with three presentations by NextGEM partners. Dr Nikolaos Petroulakis presented the NextGEM: Next Generation Integrated Sensing and Analytical System for Monitoring and Assessing Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure and Health, in the Workshop The European Research Cluster on EMF and Health (CLUE-H), a session which introduced NextGEM to all attendees.

Prof Mats-Olof Mattsson and Prof Mytrill Simko (both from Sciproof International) presented the session Are there appropriate exposure/dose metrics for RF-EMF health risk assessment? in the Workshop From exposure to dose measure: what are suitable concepts for public communication and research. “The paper discussed the rationale for biologically relevant dose metrics and discussed if we have such an entity for RF-EMF”, says Prof Mattsson, who adds that “this is a central tenet in the risk assessments performed within NextGEM, and most relevant for the experimental work.”

Dr Sam Aerts and Prof John Bolte (both from THUAS) presented On advancing radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure assessment in mobile-phone networks in the Workshop Breakthroughs in numerical and experimental EMF exposure assessment: The contribution of BIOEM young scientists.

Visit NEXTGEM website to find out more!

The SEAWave Workshop on Exposure Monitoring and Assessment took place on 16 June 2024, at the BioEM2024 Conference in Chania and was attended by more than 40 people. One of the objectives of SEAWave is to characterize and monitor exposure to radiofrequency EMF generated by wireless communication networks. During the workshop, the research addressed in SEAWave, and the respective conclusions were presented. In order to characterize exposure, measurements were carried out outdoors, indoors, as well as in transportation, in several European countries via drive tests, spot measurements, node measurements and exposimeters.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides a fantastic opportunity for EMF exposure assessment. During the workshop, presentations and discussions addressed the question of the contribution of AI and neural networks to monitoring and mapping electromagnetic fields in complex environments.

Live demonstrations of the two sensors used to collect data during the SEAWave measurement campaigns were given, one for recording user exposure to uplink emissions (DEVIN), and another for monitoring emissions from the network infrastructure (base station antennas).

Visit SEAWave website to find out more!

BioEM will celebrate its 4^th edition in 2025 in Reims, France, where the 4^th CLUE-H Annual Meeting will also take place. Find out more about the next BioEM conference!