Abstract

Presently, there is a rise in the use of mobile phones, laptops, and wireless internet technologies such as Wi-Fi and 5G routers/modems across the globe; these devices emit a considerable amount of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) which could interact with the male reproductive system either by thermal or nonthermal mechanisms. The aim of this review was to examine the effects of mobile phone use on male fertility. Related studies that reported on the effects of EMR from mobile phones on male fertility from 2003 to 2020 were evaluated. PubMed database was used. The Medical Subject Heading system was used to extract relevant research studies from PubMed. Based on the outcomes of both human and animal studies analyzed in this review, animal and human spermatozoa exposed to EMR emitted by mobile phones had reduced motility, structural anomalies, and increased oxidative stress due to overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Scrotal hyperthermia and increased oxidative stress might be the key mechanisms through which EMR affects male fertility. However, these negative effects appear to be associated with the duration of mobile phone use.

Excerpt

Recent findings from human experimentation

Long-term exposure to EMR emitted by mobile phones and Wi-Fi devices, might play a role in male infertility because of an increased production of ROS in exposed cells [Figures ​[Figures22–​-55].[16]

https://europepmc.org/article/MED/33311902

The post Does the Use of Mobile Phone Affect Male Fertility? A Mini-Review appeared first on EMFSA.

December 19, 2020

All you need to know about 5G

http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2020/12/all-you-need-to-know-about-5g.html

The post Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder on 5G appeared first on EMFSA.

This special issue of the BERENIS newsletter contains a brief overview of the new guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP 2020), as well as a statement of the BERENIS expert group.

New ICNIRP guidelines for radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (ICNIRP 2020).

a) Derivation of the guidelines

In March 2020, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has published new guidelines (ICNIRP 2020). These guidelines cover the RF EMF frequency range from 100 kHz to 300 GHz, replacing the corresponding sections of the 19981 and 20102 versions. In addition to currently used frequencies for 3G and 4G mobile phone, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication as well as DAB, the revised guidelines also cover the frequency range above 6 GHz, which will probably be used more intensively for mobile communications in the future.

According to ICNIRP, the guidelines were developed on the basis of review reports on the topic, evaluations of individual studies, scientific workshops and an extensive public consultation process. For the development of the guidelines, ICNIRP considers effects being “harmful to human health and scientifically substantiated”.

The identification of the “adverse health effect threshold” was based on the relevant literature on thermal and non-thermal effects on biological systems. According to ICNIRP, only thermal effects meet the criteria for sufficient evidence of adverse health effects, and therefore, the threshold values were based on thermal mechanisms.

In order to account for uncertainty, additional reduction factors were applied to determine the restriction values. For whole-body exposure of e.g. mobile phone base stations, the proposed restriction value for the specific absorption rate (SAR) is 50 times lower than the threshold for human health effects assumed by ICNIRP. For local exposure from devices used close to the body, such as mobile phones, the reduction factor is 10. For occupationally exposed individuals, the reduction factors are 10 and 2 for whole-body exposure and local exposure, respectively.

b) Comparison of the new and previous guidelines

The basic restrictions for whole-body exposure are still expressed as SAR and remain unchanged compared to the previous ICNIRP guidelines: 0.4 W/kg for occupational exposure and 0.08 W/kg for the general public. With regard to mobile communication frequencies, this corresponds to field strengths from 36 V/m (700 MHz) to 61 V/m (2 GHz). For frequencies of 2 GHz and above, the relevant measure is power flux density, which should not exceed 10 W/m².

A modification in the new guidelines is that whole-body exposure is averaged over 30 minutes instead of 6 minutes, because new data show that steady-state conditions for whole-body exposure are reached after 30 minutes.

Another modification is that occupational exposure of pregnant women should not exceed exposure of the general public to protect the foetus.

For local exposure, the SAR per 10 g of tissue remains 2 W/kg for the head and torso and 4 W/kg for the limbs, or an absorbed power flux density of 20 W/m² at frequencies above 6 GHz (averaged over 6 minutes).

In addition, more detailed specifications are given for local exposure with regard to short exposure durations of less than 6 minutes, and with regard to exposure of small body regions of a few square centimetres (averaged over 4 cm² from 6 GHz to 30 GHz, and 1 cm² above 30 GHz).

These more precise specifications are important for the use of higher frequencies (above 6 GHz) to adequately protect the population.

c) Statement of BERENIS

• In principle, the new guidelines do not change the level of protection of the population.

The more precise guidelines for short-term and small-area exposures above 6 GHz should be considered by Swiss legislation before such frequencies are used for mobile communication in the future.

• Although ICNIRP stated that there is no evidence for health effects below the RF-EMF exposure limit values, there are still some uncertainties in this respect. There is sufficient evidence that RFEMF exposure of the brain in the range of 1-2 W/kg has measurable effects on the brain’s electrical activity.

• Furthermore, in cell and animal studies, relatively consistent effects on oxidative stress and on cellular signalling pathways have been found also below the limit values, while it is not clear whether these effects are associated with long-term health consequences. On the other hand, epidemiological research regarding long-term whole-body exposure above 1 V/m is insufficient.

Emphasis added by EMFSA

References

1. ICNIRP (1998): Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields
(up to 300 GHz). International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Health Phys 74:494–521.

2. ICNIRP (2010): Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric and magnetic fields (1 Hz to 100 kHz).
International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Health Phys 99:818–836.

3. Thielens A, Greco MK, Verloock L, Martens L, Joseph W (2020): Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Field
Exposure of Western Honey Bees. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):461.

PDF https://www.emfsa.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Newsletter_BERENIS-Special_Issue_July_2020-ENGLISH.pdf

The post Swiss expert group BERENIS: special newsletter on the ICNIRP guidelines appeared first on EMFSA.

https://www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/en/home/topics/electrosmog/newsletter-of-the-swiss-expert-group-on-electromagnetic-fields-a.html?fbclid=IwAR0sCx3qsqFWvXc-ArC2jkVlUpP6JctCMSW2LVDjs2T4dxYarlrbgAITvqY

PDF

Newsletter_BERENIS_Nr._19_-_ENGLISH (2)

The post BERENIS – The Swiss expert group on electromagnetic fields and non-ionising radiation Newsletter Nr. 19 / December 2019 appeared first on EMFSA.

SCIENCE

12/20/2019

With the deployment of 5G, the “electromagnetic fog” in which we live will further intensify. Are there reasons to worry about it? Discover the opinion of three experts:

Yves Le Dréan is a researcher at the Research Institute for Health, Environment and Work (Inserm unit 1085, Evaluation of the impact of electromagnetic waves on human health team , Rennes).

Brigitte Lacour is an epidemiologist at the Sorbonne Paris Cité Center for Epidemiology and Statistics Research (Inserm1153 unit, Paris) and director of the National Register of Solid Tumors in Children.

Olivier Merckel is head of the Physical agents, new technologies and major development unit at the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Security (ANSES) in Maisons-Alfort.

https://www.inserm.fr/actualites-et-evenements/actualites/ondes-electromagnetiques-faut-il-craindre-5g?fbclid=IwAR3_4j49PJQo68hRPO9jg2gh0nZWz3pwFIV2qKRZxZwitXmka0NDO3mAw9I

The post Electromagnetic waves: Should we fear 5G? appeared first on EMFSA.

The potential dangers of electromagnetic fields and their effect on the environment

Excerpt:

As regards standards or threshold values for emissions of electromagnetic fields of all types and frequencies, the Assembly strongly recommends that the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle is applied, covering both the so-called thermal effects and the athermic or biological effects of electromagnetic emissions or radiation. Moreover, the precautionary principle should be applied when scientific evaluation does not allow the risk to be determined with sufficient certainty. Given the context of growing exposure of the population, in particular that of vulnerable groups such as young people and children, there could be extremely high human and economic costs if early warnings are neglected.

The Assembly regrets that, despite calls for the respect of the precautionary principle and despite all the recommendations, declarations and a number of statutory and legislative advances, there is still a lack of reaction to known or emerging environmental and health risks and virtually systematic delays in adopting and implementing effective preventive measures. Waiting for high levels of scientific and clinical proof before taking action to prevent well-known risks can lead to very high health and economic costs, as was the case with asbestos, leaded petrol and tobacco.

Moreover, the Assembly notes that the problem of electromagnetic fields or waves and their potential consequences for the environment and health has clear parallels with other current issues, such as the licensing of medication, chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals or genetically modified organisms. It therefore highlights that the issue of independence and credibility of scientific expertise is crucial to accomplish a transparent and balanced assessment of potential negative impacts on the environment and human health.

https://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-en.asp?fileid=17994

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November 4, 2019

After eight years of work, the World Health Organization (WHO) is reopening its review of the health effects of RF radiation for a summary report intended to serve as a benchmark for its more than 150 member countries. The report will be used as a guide to respond to widespread concerns over the new world of 5G.

The WHO issued a public call in October for detailed literature reviews on ten types of RF–health impacts from cancer to fertility to electrohypersensitivity. Some see the move as a sign that the health agency is interested in opinions beyond those of its long-time partner, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). They hope that the WHO is finally ready to recognize evidence of low-level effects, in particular the emerging link between cell phones and cancer. Others are far from convinced.

The skeptics see the new reviews as little more than a ruse. They fear that the WHO is only going through the motions and will in the end stick with ICNIRP’s long-held position that are no RF effects other than those caused by heating.

To read more please see https://microwavenews.com/news-center/can-who-kick-icnirp-habit

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Leszczynski: Gaps in the Knowledge, presentation at Georges River, NSW, Australia, Sept. 15, 2019

Slides of the  presentation are available in pdf format:

https://betweenrockandhardplace.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/australia-september-15-2019-cell-phone-radiation-and-health-gaps-in-the-knowledge.pdf

The post Leszczynski Presentation Australia September 15 2019 “Cell Phone Radiation and Health – Gaps in the Knowledge” appeared first on EMFSA.

https://www.icnirp.org/cms/upload/publications/ICNIRPnote2019.pdf

Health Physics: May 2020 – Volume 118 – Issue 5 – p 525-532 doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000001137

The post ICNIRP NOTE: CRITICAL EVALUATION OF TWO RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD ANIMAL CARCINOGENICITY STUDIES PUBLISHED IN 2018 appeared first on EMFSA.

MAY 7TH, 2019 – BY: KEVIN FOGARTY

At this point there are many unknowns. Heat is just one more issue, although it is an important one. But how that gets resolved may depend on a lot of other factors, from how much of the base station is digitized to the density of cells and base stations and the millimeter wave frequencies. At this point there is plenty of momentum for 5G, but there are a lot of variables in play that could have a big effect on how this wireless technology is rolled out, how well it works, and how long it lasts. See more at the link:

5G Heats Up Base Stations

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