[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/14397\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBeyond the fear: EU-funded scientists test the health impacts of 5G\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs 5G antennas multiply across Europe, bringing faster downloads, better connectivity and more reliable streaming, public concern about potential health impacts has grown as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo address these concerns, EU-funded researchers are investigating what everyday exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) from 5G actually looks like \u2013 and what it means for our health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETheir findings so far are reassuring.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMeasuring exposure in real life\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the scientists leading this work is Professor M\u00f2nica Guxens, a doctor and public health researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe need to understand the current exposure levels of the European population,\u201d said Guxens, who is coordinating a five-year EU-funded international research initiative called GOLIAT that runs until June 2027.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EWe need to understand the current exposure levels of the European population.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor M\u00f2nica Guxens, GOLIAT\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n GOLIAT is part of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.emf-health-cluster.eu\/about\/\u0022\u003ECLUE\u2011H\u003C\/a\u003E, a cluster of EU\u2011funded projects on electromagnetic fields and health that share methods and data to strengthen the overall evidence on health effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGuxens\u2019 team brings together researchers from 25 institutions in 10 European countries, with additional partners in the US, Japan and South Korea. They are examining exposure levels in different situations, possible physical and psychological health impacts, and how information about risk can be communicated clearly and effectively.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPerforming large-scale measurements across different countries will help us understand how and where people are most exposed to 5G RF-EMF now that these networks are being widely deployed,\u201d Guxens added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMapping 5G exposure across Europe\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the first tasks has been to measure how much RF-EMF people encounter in daily life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo find out what real-world exposure looks like, researchers in Belgium and Switzerland have carried out the most detailed assessment of 5G exposure to date. They used a portable \u201cexposimeter\u201d to measure radio waves in the environment, alongside new sensors attached to smartphones to track emissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMore than 800 measurements were taken across urban and rural locations in eight EU countries, plus Switzerland and the UK. The team looked at scenarios from phones in flight mode to data-intensive activities, such as sharing attachments or watching livestreamed video.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results show that exposure to RF-EMF in everyday environments remains well below international safety limits in all settings measured.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese limits, set by independent scientific bodies, define the maximum exposure levels considered safe for the general public and include large safety margins.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExposure levels did vary, however, depending on how and where devices were used.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn dense urban areas, signals from mobile base stations tend to be higher. In rural locations, short-lived peaks in exposure can occur when phones upload large amounts of data, as weaker coverage causes devices to transmit at higher power.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EPutting health effects to the test\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMeasuring exposure is only part of the picture. To investigate whether 5G signals have any immediate effects on the body, researchers in France have carried out the first coordinated human laboratory studies focusing on a key 5G frequency band: 3.5 gigahertz.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt INERIS, the French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks near Paris, 31 healthy volunteers were exposed to 5G signals for 26 minutes under controlled conditions designed to reflect real-world environmental exposure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe observed no measurable impact on heart function, stress levels, skin temperature or brain activity in healthy young adults,\u201d said Dr Brahim Selmaoui, one of the researchers involved in the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhile more research is still needed on long-term and repeated exposures, our results provide reassuring evidence for this new 5G band under realistic exposure conditions,\u201d he said. \u201cThey also contribute to ongoing international safety assessments.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHelping people check their own exposure\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeyond laboratory results, researchers see clear value in helping people better understand their own exposure and in reducing unnecessary anxiety.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Martin R\u00f6\u00f6sli, head of the Environmental Exposures and Health Unit at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, is leading the development of a freely accessible online \u201cdose database\u201d that will allow users to explore how everyday behaviours influence exposure levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is important for society that people feel informed and reassured,\u201d said R\u00f6\u00f6sli. \u201cPeople often ask very practical questions: is it safe to sleep with my phone on the bedside table? Should I keep it further away?\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExpected to launch in spring 2026, the tool will allow users to input how they use their mobile phones and other devices, and where they live, to get a clearer picture of typical exposure levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEarly findings suggest that a phone placed 30 to 40 cm away overnight, with minimal activity, results in virtually no exposure \u2013 far less than that generated during even a very brief phone call.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat may matter more, researchers suggest, is human behaviour. For example, sleep disrupted by notifications or late-night scrolling.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBehaviour and well-being\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis distinction is central to the long-term health research now under way. Scientists are examining links between digital communication devices and neuropsychological outcomes in children and young adults, including cognitive function, sleep quality and mental health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003EIt is important for society that people feel informed and reassured.\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Martin R\u00f6\u00f6sli, GOLIAT\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe phone doesn\u2019t only bring radio frequency electromagnetic fields exposure,\u201d Guxens explained. \u201cIt also brings screen light exposure, mental arousal or device dependency. Separating the effects of the different factors related to the use of the devices is challenging.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUnlike many earlier studies that captured only a snapshot in time, the current research follows participants over longer periods, helping scientists distinguish cause from correlation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf someone sleeps badly, is it because of radiation, or because they were scrolling late at night?\u201d Guxens said. \u201cYou can\u2019t answer that without long-term data.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EClosing the information gap\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the researchers involved, clear communication is as important as measurement and analysis. Persistent misinformation around 5G, they argue, has flourished in the gap between rapid technological change and public understanding.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout their work, the scientists are engaging directly with citizens to understand concerns and misconceptions, and to tailor how findings are shared, including short, accessible social media-style videos designed to explain results simply and transparently.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGiving people tools to understand exposure can reduce anxiety, even when the risk is low,\u201d said Guxens.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith the EU investing heavily in digital infrastructure through initiatives such as the Connecting Europe Facility, and with 6G networks expected from around 2030, researchers say ongoing monitoring will remain essential.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTechnology is changing so quickly that exposure assessment has to keep pace,\u201d R\u00f6\u00f6sli said. \u201cWe need to understand what these developments mean for the population \u2013 now and in the future.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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