• A French research project: 5G RFR (26 GHz) and co-exposures with nanoparticles (PCC-NPs) in personal care/cosmetic products

Background

The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) has selected 45 research projects which will receive funding amounting to a total of €7.41 million. This research seeks to provide new knowledge on environmental risks to human health in the general or occupational populations, as well as on risks to ecosystems.

The research projects include five on 5G deployment and two on assessing the biological effects of radiofrequency radiation. https://www.anses.fr/en/content/pnr-est-projects-selected-2023?fbclid=IwAR118efqiWEDz0pi20p6kBQOYCkUX25TmwkGNSCp5sExPbG3FlQB1rzHaZE

5G-5-CARA: for a full summary of this research project, please see:

Page 7-9

https://www.anses.fr/en/system/files/APR2023-Recueil-des-resumes-projets-retenus.pdf

The aim is to assess the potential health risks upon exposure to 5G radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (5G-EMF) 

• In the 26GHz band alone,
•  and in combination with  nanoparticles derived from personal care/cosmetic products

Why 26GHz?

The higher the frequency, the less penetration into tissues and organs.

As a consequence of the weaker penetration, studies of effects and potential risks are more focused on human skin, eyes and nerve endings.

Nanoparticles

Nowadays nanoparticles are ubiquitous in different kinds of personal skin care products, such as deodorants, creams, sunscreens.

In addition to the possible local enhancement of nearfield induced by exposure to 5G EMF in the vicinity of nanoparticles, PCC-NPs may induce oxidative stress, trigger redox reactions, and cause premature aging or other potentially harmful biological effects, which have not yet been studied.

• An Iranian study: Indirect effects of interference of two emerging environmental contaminants on cell health: Radiofrequency radiation and gold nanoparticles

In this study the authors investigated the Bystander Effect (BE)  induced by RFR in the presence of gold nanoparticles (GNP). 

The expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was also studied.

The results for the first time indicated that RFR induces indirect effects in the presence of GNP. However, the molecular mediators of these effects differ from those in the absence of GNP. The authors state that, to their knowledge, this is the first study to show that COX-2 is not involved in the bystander effect induced by 900 MHz RFR.

Reference: Najmeh Jooyan, Seyed Mohammad Javad Mortazavi, Bahram Goliaei, Reza Faraji-Dana, Indirect effects of interference of two emerging environmental contaminants on cell health: Radiofrequency radiation and gold nanoparticles, Chemosphere, Volume 349, 2024, 140942, ISSN 0045-6535, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140942. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653523032125?via%3Dihub

• General note about gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have now been used in skin care creams for several years, with marketed anti-aging, moisturizing, and regenerative properties. Information on the harmful effects of these nanoparticles is lacking, a concern for the use of AuNPs as cosmetic ingredients. Reference: Majerič P, Jović Z, Švarc T, Jelen Ž, Horvat A, Koruga D, Rudolf R. Physicochemical Properties of Gold Nanoparticles for Skin Care Creams. Materials (Basel). 2023 Apr 11;16(8):3011. doi: 10.3390/ma16083011. PMID: 37109847; PMCID: PMC10144145. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37109847/

• Cumulative effects of manganese nanoparticle and radiofrequency radiation in male Wistar rats

 In this study, adult male Wistar rats were exposed to manganese nanoparticles (MNPs) and mobile phone radiation for 45 days and their separate, as well as cumulative impact, was investigated.

The effect of the MNPs and RFR on liver, kidney, and reproductive parameters were studied. Histopathology as well as liver and kidney parameters were altered when exposed to MNPs and RFR separately. However, their combined treatment did not show a synergistic toxic response in liver and kidney functions.

MNPs and RFR both caused a highly significant decrease in sperm count, which further decreased in the combined treatment (MNPs + RFR). These results indicate that the combined treatment of these stressors can have an additive toxic response to the male reproductive system.

Reference: Sonali Pardhiya, Usha Singh Gaharwar, Rohit Gautam, Eepsita Priyadarshini, Jay Prakash Nirala & Paulraj Rajamani (2022) Cumulative effects of manganese nanoparticle and radiofrequency radiation in male Wistar rats, Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 45:3, 1395-1407, DOI: 10.1080/01480545.2020.1833905

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IGNIR offers science-based advice and guidance on the health and environmental effects of man-made non-ionising radiation.  Its aim is to protect people and the environment from detrimental exposure to man-made EMF pollution, and comprises three functions:
To provide advice about appropriate safety levels for man-made electromagnetic exposure
To assess published guidelines on man-made electromagnetic exposure and make its own recommendations as to which are appropriate
Provide practical and reliable assessment guidelines for surveyors and building biologists.

IGNIR has developed a set of Guidelines for electromagnetic exposure based on the peer-reviewed EUROPAEM EMF Guidelines 2016.

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/reveh-2016-0011/html

It has three guideline groupings:
Day (D)
Night (N)
Sensitive (S)

It covers three frequency ranges:

Extremely Low Frequency

(ELF)Very Low Frequency

(VLF)Radiofrequency (RF)

Electromagnetic (EM) hygiene and safety involves minimising exposure levels that can be toxic to the environment and human health. The guidelines set forth by EUROPAEM (European Academy on Environmental Medicine) were published under open access by the international journal Reviews on Environmental Health. Although at present there are no assured safe levels of man-made EM exposure, and studies continue to show harm to living systems at very small exposure values, IGNIR’s guidance aims to help achieve substantial reduction in EM exposure.

IGNIR’s Guidelines are aimed to also help protect sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, fetuses, pregnant women, those with co-morbidity, body metal work and people with Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS).

IGNIR’s latest independent guidelines on EMF exposure are available now to download and use.

https://www.emfsa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IGNIR-Guidelines-2021.pdf

Source: https://ignir.org/

Added note by EMFSA:

See our February 2021 newsletter under the heading “Millimeter Waves Will Not Penetrate The Skin” https://mailchi.mp/emfsa/news

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Abstract: Wearable metal objects with high electromagnetic reflection characteristics can cause interference with the incident waves during exposure to the electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the effect of metal objects capable of increasing the absorption of EM energy and temperature within the tissues when get exposed to EM radiation. A numerical analysis of increase in specific absorption rate (SAR) and temperature distribution in a human head model when metal objects are placed between the head and radiating source is performed. A realistic three-dimensional heterogeneous human head model, metal objects of different shapes and sizes, and spectacles with different lenses are used. A half-wavelength dipole antenna operating at 1800 MHz served as an EM radiation source. Results show that the presence of metal objects in proximity to the head alters SAR and temperature increase within the tissues. In most cases, metal objects redistribute the EM field incident upon them to a smaller region increasing power absorption, thereby increasing SAR and temperature in that region. The power absorption in head layers is found to be sensitive to metal object’s size and shape, and distance of the antenna from the objects.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X20305311?fbclid=IwAR1hYRDjM4lRLyD3KrSCYf71XCgAlr6hx4Wusy-Q0U2fCEcf9qY_s-FYpcI

According to the authors the metal objects definitely alter the absorption of EM radiation in the tissues. In most of the cases, presence of all shapes of metal objects increase the SAR and temperature in the head model for voice calling position. This paper, hence, shows how important it is to study temperature distribution along with the SAR distribution to clearly understand the effect of EM radiation on the tissues. Results obtained from this study can help spread awareness among the people who often get exposed to EM radiation wearing some type of metal objects. If the metal objects have size and distance in the range of generating strong coupling interaction with the EM radiation source, this could cause a harmful effect on the health.

Under a Creative Commons license, Open Access.

© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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• Concerns About Immune Responses to Metal in Medical Devices
• Metal-Containing Implants
• Dental Amalgam
• Determining Medical Device Material Safety
• More FDA Information on Metals in Medical Devices

Participate in the Immunology Devices Panel Meeting in November 2019 – see more at

 https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/products-and-medical-procedures/metals-used-medical-devices?utm_campaign=2019-09-30%20Metal%20Implants%20and%20Dental%20Amalgam&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

On November 13-14, 2019, the FDA will host a public meeting of the Immunology Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee to discuss metal-containing implants and dental amalgam. Read the FDA’s paper on metal-containing implants and paper on dental amalgam for more information on the topics.

The FDA has heard concerns raised by patients and other device users, and we have received adverse event reports that note biological responses to certain metals used in medical devices. Based on our evaluation, we believe the current evidence, although limited, suggests some individuals may be predisposed to develop a local or systemic immune or inflammatory reaction when exposed to certain metals contained in select implantable devices.

The symptoms some people have noted may be limited to the region where the device is implanted or may be more generalized. Reported systemic symptoms include fatigue, rash, joint and muscle pain, and weakness. Although uncommon and varied, these symptoms can sometimes mimic more well-established inflammatory conditions, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.

The science around immunes response to materials in medical devices is expanding and furthering this science to improve patient treatment options and outcomes is a priority for the FDA.  Lab tests commonly used to diagnose allergy-based sensitivities may not be adequate to identify susceptible individuals. To better understand how a patient responds to materials used in medical device implants and harness that information to improve the safety of devices in patients, the FDA is working to engage the public—in particular, scientists, patients, and health care providers—and industry stakeholders to determine the current state of the science, critical gaps in the existing science, and what approaches the FDA should consider.

See more at:

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/products-and-medical-procedures/metals-used-medical-devices?utm_campaign=2019-09-30%20Metal%20Implants%20and%20Dental%20Amalgam&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

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