A team of researchers from Project GOLIAT has developed and applied a new protocol to measure exposure to mobile phone radiation, in particular from 5G. The researchers measured radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) levels during three different scenarios: when the mobile device is in flight mode (non-user), when the mobile phone is used intensively by either downloading or uploading data. The study demonstrates that exposure to RF-EMF from mobile phone base station increases with increasing population density. However, mobile phones transmit most strongly in areas with poor network quality.
Backpack containing the exposimeter and a mobile device with a sensor.
The research was conducted in Switzerland, one of the first countries in Europe to roll out 5G networks on a large scale. The results have now been published in Environmental Research and provide relevant data for epidemiological research, risk management and risk communication.
Methods
To measure the RF-EMF levels emitted by devices and base stations, the study team selected two cities (Zurich and Basel) and three rural villages (Hergiswil, Willisau, and Dagmersellen). In each, they defined different microenvironments or areas with different uses, such as residential or industrial areas, schools, public parks or public transport. The researchers measured exposure by wearing a backpack with a personal exposimeter and a mobile device equipped with a sensor and software to track the power emitted by the phone.
The team demonstrates the operation of the field measurement equipment during a workshop in Basel.
Results
In total, more than 30,000 data points were analysed. When using the mobile phone in flight mode scenario, RF-EMF exposure mainly comes from mobile phone base stations. The researchers found that exposure levels increased with increasing population density. The average for rural villages was 0.17 milliwatts per square metre (mW/m²), while the average for cities was 0.33 mW/m² for Basel and 0.48 mW/m² for Zurich. “The highest levels were found in urban business areas and public transport, which were still more than a hundred times below the international guideline values.”, says Martin Röösli, researcher at the Swiss TPH and last author of the study.
In the scenario where maximum data download was triggered (the researcher’s phone was set to download large files), the radiation increased significantly to an average of 6-7 mW/m². The authors attribute this increase partly to beamforming, a technique associated with 5G base stations that directs signals more efficiently to the user, leading to higher exposure levels when downloading data. The exposure was overall higher in the two cities likely due to the higher number of 5G base stations.
Finally, the scenario where highest RF-EMF levels were registered was the maximum data upload scenario, where the researcher’s mobile phone was set to constantly upload large files. The average exposure was around 16 mW/m² in the cities and almost twice as high in the villages (29 mW/m²). In this scenario, the biggest source of radiation was the phone sending the data, and exposure was significantly higher in villages, due to the lower density of base stations, which reduces signal quality and forces devices to use more power to send data.
“We have to keep in mind that in our study the phone was about 30 cm away from the measuring device, which means that our results might underestimate the real exposure. A mobile phone user will held the phone closer to the body and thus the exposure to RF-EMF could be up to 10 times higher,” says Adriana Fernandes Veludo, researcher at the Swiss TPH and first author of the study.
“In summary, this study shows that environmental exposure is lower when base station density is low. However, in such a situation, the emission from mobile phones is by orders of magnitude higher” says Adriana Fernandes Veludo. “This has the paradoxical consequence that a typical mobile phone user is more exposed to RF-EMF in areas with low base station density.”
This is the first study of its kind to provide significant data on 5G levels in the environment and from the own phone. The measurements will now be carried out twice within 3 years in nine more European countries, allowing potential changes in population exposure to be monitored as 5G is rolled out.
Reference
Veludo, A.F., Stroobandt, B., Van Bladel, H., Sandoval-Diez, N., Guxens M., Joseph, W., Röösli, M., Exploring RF-EMF levels in Swiss microenvironments: An evaluation of environmental and auto-induced downlink and uplink exposure in the era of 5G, Environmental Research, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.120550.
A GOLIAT pilot study involving 44 volunteers has assessed whether exposure to 5G induces changes in the autonomic nervous system. The study, led by researchers from INERIS, found that exposure to 5G may be associated with a small but statistically significant increase in body temperature and a minimal modulation of certain electrodermal metrics. The results are published in the journal Experimental Physiology.
The research team chose skin temperature and electrodermal activity, which measures the electrical conductance of the skin, as markers of autonomic nervous system responses. In a laboratory in France, a set was built using an antenna and a 5G generator to simulate exposure levels that are currently found in the environment.
In two randomised and blinded sessions within one week, the 44 young volunteers were exposed either to real 5G emissions or to sham sessions with no radiofrequency emissions. During these sessions, the researchers recorded the volunteers’ electroencephalograms and electrocardiograms, and measured their body temperatures at the hands, neck and head. In parallel, a series of 10 beeps were emitted during each session to assess, using two electrodes placed in the volunteers’ fingers, whether these auditory signals elicited any skin conductance responses.
The results showed some changes in body temperature after the experiment. While there was no change in the temperature of the hands, there was a slight increase in the temperature of the head and neck at the end of the sessions.
“The increase in temperature in the head and neck could be explained by the fact that the main beam of the antenna was directed at these parts of the body and therefore received the maximum exposure intensity, while the hands were placed on the table and received a lower level of electromagnetic field,” says Layla Jamal, researcher at INERIS and first author of the study.
In terms of electrodermal activity, the researchers observed that the auditory signals sent to the participants were associated with a decrease in global mean skin conductance, as well as some changes in other parameters of electrodermal activity.
“The observed change in global mean skin conductance suggests that exposure to 5G may affect our physiological response to an auditory stimulus. In addition, we found a decrease in latency, the time between the beeps and the body’s response to them, which could indicate a faster or more efficient cognitive response,” says Brahim Selmaoui, researcher at INERIS and last author of the study.
“In any case, we must point out that all the differences observed, although statistically significant, are small in absolute terms and within normal physiological ranges. This is a preliminary study with a small sample size, so further research is needed before we can draw any conclusions,” adds Dr Selmaoui.
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:
