Damage to health and the environment due to electromagnetic fields from telecommunications?

On July 1, 2022, Nextgem began, a European project made up of 20 institutions from 10 different countries and financed with more than 7.5 million euros by the European Union. Over the next four years, you will study the effects on health and the environment of exposure to electric and magnetic fields caused by the use of telecommunications technologies.

Researchers from the Barcelona Institute of Materials Science (ICMAB), attached to the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Spain, will coordinate the data collection, participate in the evaluation of the effects and organize the dissemination of the results.

This project will seek to guarantee the safety of the citizens of the European Union in the use of telecommunication technologies based on electromagnetic fields. Nextgem will form part of the Electromagnetic Fields and Health cluster, along with three other Horizon Europe projects (Seawave, Etain, Goliat) selected in the call for proposals Exposure to electromagnetic fields and health. The objective is to optimize synergies, avoid overlaps and increase the impact of the projects.

Coordinated by the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), in Crete (Greece), the consortium has the participation of 20 organizations: 4 research institutions (FORTH, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Higher Council for Scientific Research and the CIMNE (Centre Internacional de Mètodes Numerics en Enginyeria)), 6 universities (University of Cassino, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, and the University of Zurich) , 5 public and governmental organizations (including the Italian National Institute of Health, the Belgian National Institute of Public Health, the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, the Spanish Ministry of Health and the Dutch Radiocommunications Agency), 3 small and medium-sized companies (eBOS, SciProof International and Sphynx Analytic Solution) and 2 industrial partners (Intracom Teleco m and Telecom Italia).

Each of the partners brings to the consortium its unique experience, essential for the execution of the project. This includes measurements and modeling of sources of electromagnetic fields, investigation of possible health effects through experimental and human studies, investigation of possible causal links between the level and duration of exposure to electromagnetic fields in the possible effects on health, risk assessment and the development of a center of innovation and knowledge for the scientific community, the authorities and the awareness of citizens.

Nextgem’s objective is to guarantee the citizens of the European Union a healthy life and a safe working environment by using existing and future telecommunication technologies based on electromagnetic fields. This will be achieved through the generation of knowledge that identifies the appropriate control measures for exposure to electromagnetic fields in residential, public and work settings, which are reliable for people and are in accordance with the regulations and laws issued by the Public authorities.

The project seeks to guarantee security in the use of telecommunication technologies. (Photo: Amazings/NCYT)

To this end, Nextgem will provide a framework to generate knowledge and scientific data relevant to health on new scenarios of exposure to electromagnetic fields at multiple frequencies. The project also aims to develop and validate evidence-based risk assessment tools. Nextgem will also create the Nextgem Knowledge and Innovation Center (NIKH) for electromagnetic fields and health, which will offer a standardized way for European regulatory authorities and the scientific community to store and evaluate project results and knowledge about how Exposure to electromagnetic fields affects health.

From the ICMAB, researchers from the Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites (NN) group will participate in the project, and the Communication and Dissemination office will provide support in some of the tasks. Specifically, the ICMAB researchers will be in charge of coordinating the collection of data for risk assessment based on experimental and observational studies, of coordinating dissemination and communication plans and activities, and of participating in various project tasks related to evaluation of the effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.

“We will participate in the Nextgem project studying the biochemical and biophysical mechanisms of responses to electromagnetic fields by conducting in vivo studies with the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. We have extensive experience working with C. elegans to assess the toxicity and effects of nanomaterials on this biological system, so we can contribute our experience in this project to assess the effects of electromagnetic fields C. elegans are 1-millimeter transparent nematodes, easy to grow and maintain, with 60-80% genomic homology with humans, which are used to carry out in vivo experiments in the laboratory and allow rapid evaluation of nanomaterials”, explains Anna Laromaine, a researcher with the NN group.

“We will also participate in the planning of the experiments, in the evaluation of the results and in the preparation of the replication guidelines. We are currently researching materials for 5G technologies, millimeter waves and terahertz, which are the range of frequencies of electromagnetic fields of interest in the project,” says Martí Gich, a researcher with the NN group.

“From the Communication and Dissemination Office we will provide support in the coordination of communication and dissemination activities and in the preparation of communication material such as press releases, posts on social networks and videos, to increase the impact of the project and ensure that results reach stakeholders, including the general public,” says Anna May, Head of Communications. (Source: Anna May / ICMAB / CSIC)