MTN’s half-year 2025 financial report confirms ongoing cooperation and promises updates on material developments. The 2024 annual report had disclosed U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act litigation but assessed liability as “remote” with no contingent liabilities.

Analysis by the Foreign Policy Research Institute highlights potential implications for multinational companies in geopolitically complex regions.

Aviation / 5G Interference

Researchers at KAUST (Saudi Arabia) developed a new mathematical approach to protect aircraft from 5G interference. The study defines an ideal exclusion zone around runways, balancing safety with network performance. This model is expected to guide aviation regulators and telecom authorities in 5G tower deployment near airports.

Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP)

Decades of research have explored wireless solar energy from orbit. Current designs convert sunlight via photovoltaic cells in geostationary orbit into microwaves, which are transmitted to rectennas on Earth and fed into the grid. Recent studies suggest SBSP could play a key role in Europe’s clean energy transition.

5G / 6G and Human Skin

New studies examine how millimeter waves interact with skin and cells. Modeling shows human skin cannot be treated as uniform when exposed to 5G/6G millimeter waves. Short-term exposure to 5G-modulated 3.5 GHz fields does not affect oxidative stress or DNA repair in human skin cells under controlled conditions. The findings are limited to acute exposures of up to 48 hours, and longer-term studies in more realistic biological models are needed.

WHO RF-EMF Systematic Reviews – Swiss FOEN & FOPH

High reliability was observed for carcinogenicity in animal studies, but results do not directly indicate human health effects. Detailed results will be presented in the WHO report scheduled for the end of 2025. Switzerland’s federal protection framework remains in place, guided by the Environmental Protection Act and the Ordinance on Protection against Non-Ionizing Radiation, with the precautionary principle central.

Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses for WHO RF-EMF Assessment

A special issue of Environment International presents the culmination of four years of collaborative work by over 80 global scientific experts. It includes nine protocols and twelve systematic reviews supporting human health risk assessment of RF-EMF exposure. The editorial summarizes methodology, commissioning processes, and key findings.

Environmental 60 Hz Magnetic Fields (MFs)

A new study analyzed electric fields induced by powerline frequency (60 Hz) magnetic fields in human legs. Results underline the importance of rigorous modeling to refine exposure systems, standards, and guidelines.

Radon

Switzerland maintains one of the most detailed national radon databases worldwide, with around 300,000 indoor measurements. Other countries have similar databases, though methodologies vary.

Recent measurements in Scotland revealed elevated radon levels in nine Highland Council properties, including two schools, underscoring the importance of regular testing. South Africa currently lacks a comprehensive national radon database.

AI

Parents of a teenager who took his own life have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. The company has announced plans to modify ChatGPT following the case, which claimed the chatbot contributed to the teen’s suicide.

In Memoriam

We are deeply saddened by the passing of George Parker, an icon in the EHS community. His contributions and legacy will be long remembered.

Read the EMFSA August 2025 Newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/emfsa/august-2025-newsletter

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EMFSA August 2025 Newsletter: Logo of EMFSA, illustrating the focus on electromagnetic field safety and awareness, combining stylized RF waves with imagery of communication towers

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Publication date 24th April 2024

Summary: WHO is currently updating the assessment of potential health risk possibly related to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). A series of systematic reviews commissioned by the WHO will substantially inform the new WHO EHC monograph. But what exactly is a systematic review? What requirements must such a review fulfil, what work is necessary and what does a systematic review provide? Find out more about the WHO process for preparing the new EHC monograph and the systematic reviews in this spotlight.

PDF https://doris.bfs.de/jspui/bitstream/urn:nbn:de:0221-2024042443254/5/SL_WHO-Systematic-Reviews_2024_Eng.pdf

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Abstract

Background: Smartphone overuse has been cited as a potentially modifiable risk factor that can result in visual impairment. However, reported associations between smartphone overuse and visual impairment have been inconsistent.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to determine the association between smartphone overuse and visual impairment, including myopia, blurred vision, and poor vision, in children and young adults.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection, and ScienceDirect databases since the beginning of the databases up to June 2020. Fourteen eligible studies (10 cross-sectional studies and 4 controlled trials) were identified, which included a total of 27,110 subjects with a mean age ranging from 9.5 to 26.0 years. We used a random-effects model for meta-analysis of the 10 cross-sectional studies (26,962 subjects) and a fixed-effects model for meta-analysis of the 4 controlled trials (148 subjects) to combine odds ratios (ORs) and effect sizes (ES). The I² statistic was used to assess heterogeneity.

Results: A pooled OR of 1.05 (95% CI 0.98-1.13, P=.16) was obtained from the cross-sectional studies, suggesting that smartphone overuse is not significantly associated with myopia, poor vision, or blurred vision; however, these visual impairments together were more apparent in children (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.99-1.14, P=.09) than in young adults (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.57-1.46,P=.71). For the 4 controlled trials, the smartphone overuse groups showed worse visual function scores compared with the reduced-use groups. The pooled ES was 0.76 (95% CI 0.53-0.99), which was statistically significant (P<.001).

Conclusions: Longer smartphone use may increase the likelihood of ocular symptoms, including myopia, asthenopia, and ocular surface disease, especially in children. Thus, regulating use time and restricting the prolonged use of smartphones may prevent ocular and visual symptoms. Further research on the patterns of use, with longer follow up on the longitudinal associations, will help to inform detailed guidelines and recommendations for smartphone use in children and young adults.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33289673/

©Jian Wang, Mei Li, Daqiao Zhu, Yang Cao. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 08.12.2020.

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Read more at https://www.who.int/peh-emf/research/rf_ehc_page/en/index1.html

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