One of the biggest difficulties that scientists face is how to translate research results into society so that they have a real impact. To help in this task, Project GOLIAT has presented a short guide that brings together 7 basic recommendations for scientists who wish to use advocacy to get their results translated into action by politicians or administrations. The document was written by Alberto Rocamora, from the Policy team at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and is aimed at scientists with no previous experience in policy.
One of the primary goals of the ETAIN project is to assess how much 5G radiation power is absorbed by insects when exposed to specific levels of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs). The research aims to understand how this absorbed power varies across different insect species and their developmental stages.
A key focus of the project is on the potential impact of RF-EMFs on biodiversity, particularly insect pollinators. To investigate this, a longitudinal experiment is being conducted where insect trapping is carried out over time in regions consistently exposed to RF-EMFs.
Several experiments are underway in Greece, in collaboration with Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos Dimitra, to examine how 5G radiation affects bees. The experiment consists of two rooms: a control room and an exposed room. Each room contains a Styrofoam box housing beehives. The exposed room has 5G radiation levels higher than what is typically found outdoors but similar to the exposure experienced during phone usage. The control room, isolated by electromagnetic field (EMF) absorbing material, is exposed to normal environmental levels.
To maintain accuracy, the experiment is conducted in areas free from external RF-EMF interference. The bees are allowed to leave the boxes to forage, while their hive activity, influenced by seasonal shifts, is continuously monitored.
In addition to the bee study, parallel research in Montpellier focuses on fruit flies, another critical species for biodiversity research. Stay tuned for further updates as these studies progress and reveal more about the effects of 5G radiation on insect life.
Does EMF exposure pose a risk to human health? NextGEM’s main goal is to answer this question, and it investigates it through many lines of research. The objective is to assess the effects of RF exposure across various frequency bands using both in vitro and in vivo biological models. In this context, three NextGEM partners showcased how they conduct their research.
Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC, from Spain) use the nematode C.elegans to assess possible biological effects of EMF. C.elegans serve as an initial screening tool for evaluating possible EMF effects, helping to shed light on potential human-scale impacts. The following video shows the similarities between these worms’ biology and the human body’s:
The Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment at the National Research Council of Italy (IREA-CNR) has a Bioelectromagnetics Laboratory, which is fully equipped to conduct experiments in diverse frequency ranges. There, human cell cultures and C.elegans are used to investigate the effects of RF exposure across different frequency ranges on cancer-related outcomes:
Belgian NextGEM partners Sciensano, on their side, showed us the premises of the Belgian Scientific Institute of Public Service (ISSeP), where they have assembled an EMF exposure system for human testing. They will conduct short, acute exposure sessions (45 minutes) at 5G frequencies (26.5 GHz) on healthy volunteers. This study aims to explore whether the controlled exposure could influence various parameters in red blood cells:
Conferences are not only an excellent opportunity to present one’s own research and get feedback on it, but they are also ideal for exchanging ideas beyond one’s own research interests! At SRA-E, the 32nd Annual Conference “Risk in Time and Space”, of the Society for Risk Analysis Europe researchers from all over the world and from a wide range of disciplines came together to do just that. The common intersection is the research of risks. The 32nd Annual Conference took place in Athens from 2 to 5 June 2024. The researchers of SEAWave were there. The team from IU gave two oral presentations concerning the findings of their work so far.
Sarah Link and Marie Eggeling presented their research on the perception of 5G at the annual meeting of the Society for Risk Analysis – Europe. Sarah Link presented her results of a study investigating laypeople’s situational exposure perception and location preferences for 5G base stations. Marie Eggeling on the other hand presented her study results, dealing with the relationship between personal relevance of 5G and precautionary communication on EMF.
Go to SEAWave’s website!
Marie Eggeling’s presentationSarah Link’s presentation
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 3rd 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.
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.
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.
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).
BioEM will celebrate its 4th edition in 2025 in Reims, France, where the 4th CLUE-H Annual Meeting will also take place. Find out more about the next BioEM conference!
