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Manville AM, Levitt BB, Lai HC. Health and environmental effects to wildlife from radio telemetry and tracking devices-state of the science and best management practices. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1283709. [PMID: 38511190 PMCID: PMC10954089 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1283709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
This paper discusses the potential health risks and benefits to tagged wildlife from the use of radio tracking, radio telemetry, and related microchip and data-logger technologies used to study, monitor and track mostly wildlife in their native habitats. Domestic pets, especially canids, are briefly discussed as radio-tagging devices are also used on/in them. Radio tracking uses very high frequency (VHF), ultra-high frequency (UHF), and global positioning system (GPS) technologies, including via satellites where platform terminal transmitters (PTTs) are used, as well as geo-locating capabilities using satellites, radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips, and passive integrated responder (PIT) tags, among others. Such tracking technologies have resulted in cutting-edge findings worldwide that have served to protect and better understand the behaviors of myriad wildlife species. As a result, scientists, field researchers, technicians, fish and wildlife biologists and managers, plus wildlife and other veterinarian specialists, frequently opt for its use without fully understanding the ramifications to target species and their behaviors. These include negative physiological effects from electromagnetic fields (EMF) to which many nonhuman species are exquisitely sensitive, as well as direct placement/use-attachment impacts from radio collars, transmitters, and implants themselves. This paper provides pertinent studies, suggests best management practices, and compares technologies currently available to those considering and/or using such technologies. The primary focus is on the health and environmental risk/benefit decisions that should come into play, including ethical considerations, along with recommendations for more caution in the wildlife and veterinarian communities before such technologies are used in the first place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert M. Manville
- Advanced Academic Program’s Environmental Sciences and Policy Division, School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - B. Blake Levitt
- National Association of Science Writers, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Henry C. Lai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Héroux P, Belyaev I, Chamberlin K, Dasdag S, De Salles AAA, Rodriguez CEF, Hardell L, Kelley E, Kesari KK, Mallery-Blythe E, Melnick RL, Miller AB, Moskowitz JM. Cell Phone Radiation Exposure Limits and Engineering Solutions. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:5398. [PMID: 37048013 PMCID: PMC10094704 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20075398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
In the 1990s, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) restricted its risk assessment for human exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) in seven ways: (1) Inappropriate focus on heat, ignoring sub-thermal effects. (2) Reliance on exposure experiments performed over very short times. (3) Overlooking time/amplitude characteristics of RFR signals. (4) Ignoring carcinogenicity, hypersensitivity, and other health conditions connected with RFR. (5) Measuring cellphone Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) at arbitrary distances from the head. (6) Averaging SAR doses at volumetric/mass scales irrelevant to health. (7) Using unrealistic simulations for cell phone SAR estimations. Low-cost software and hardware modifications are proposed here for cellular phone RFR exposure mitigation: (1) inhibiting RFR emissions in contact with the body, (2) use of antenna patterns reducing the Percent of Power absorbed in the Head (PPHead) and body and increasing the Percent of Power Radiated for communications (PPR), and (3) automated protocol-based reductions of the number of RFR emissions, their duration, or integrated dose. These inexpensive measures do not fundamentally alter cell phone functions or communications quality. A health threat is scientifically documented at many levels and acknowledged by industries. Yet mitigation of RFR exposures to users does not appear as a priority with most cell phone manufacturers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Héroux
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, Canada
| | - Igor Belyaev
- Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 814 38 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Kent Chamberlin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Suleyman Dasdag
- Biophysics Department, Medical School, Istanbul Medeniyet University, Istanbul 34700, Turkey
| | - Alvaro Augusto Almeida De Salles
- Graduate Program on Electrical Engineering (PPGEE), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 90010-150, Brazil
| | | | - Lennart Hardell
- Department of Oncology, Orebro University Hospital, 701 85 Orebro, Sweden (Retired)
- The Environment and Cancer Research Foundation, 702 17 Orebro, Sweden
| | - Elizabeth Kelley
- ICBE-EMF and International EMF Scientist Appeal, and Electromagnetic Safety Alliance, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
| | - Kavindra Kumar Kesari
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Science, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
| | - Erica Mallery-Blythe
- Physicians’ Health Initiative for Radiation and Environment, East Sussex TN6, UK
- British Society of Ecological Medicine, London W1W 6DB, UK
- Oceania Radiofrequency Scientific Advisory Association, Scarborough, QLD 4020, Australia
| | - Ronald L. Melnick
- National Toxicology Program (Retired), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27709, USA
- Ron Melnick Consulting LLC, North Logan, UT 84341, USA
| | - Anthony B. Miller
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Joel M. Moskowitz
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
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Levitt BB, Lai HC, Manville AM. Low-level EMF effects on wildlife and plants: What research tells us about an ecosystem approach. Front Public Health 2022; 10:1000840. [PMID: 36505009 PMCID: PMC9732734 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1000840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
There is enough evidence to indicate we may be damaging non-human species at ecosystem and biosphere levels across all taxa from rising background levels of anthropogenic non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF) from 0 Hz to 300 GHz. The focus of this Perspective paper is on the unique physiology of non-human species, their extraordinary sensitivity to both natural and anthropogenic EMF, and the likelihood that artificial EMF in the static, extremely low frequency (ELF) and radiofrequency (RF) ranges of the non-ionizing electromagnetic spectrum are capable at very low intensities of adversely affecting both fauna and flora in all species studied. Any existing exposure standards are for humans only; wildlife is unprotected, including within the safety margins of existing guidelines, which are inappropriate for trans-species sensitivities and different non-human physiology. Mechanistic, genotoxic, and potential ecosystem effects are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Blake Levitt
- National Association of Science Writers, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Henry C. Lai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Albert M. Manville
- Advanced Academic Programs, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Policy, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, United States
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Physical Differences between Man-Made and Cosmic Microwave Electromagnetic Radiation and Their Exposure Limits, and Radiofrequencies as Generators of Biotoxic Free Radicals. RADIATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/radiation2040022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The critical arguments for radiofrequency radiation exposure limits are currently based on the principle that radio frequencies (RF) and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are non-ionising, and their exposure limits are even 100-fold lower than those emitted from the Sun in the whole RF-EMF spectrum. Nonetheless, this argument has been challenged by numerous experimental and theoretical studies on the diverse biological effects of RF-EMF at much lower power density (W/m2) levels than today’s exposing limits. On the other hand, less attention has been given to counterarguments based on the differences in the physics concepts underlying man-made versus natural electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and on the fact that man’s biology has been adapted to the natural EMR levels reaching Earth’s surface at single EMF wavelengths, which are the natural limits of man’s exposure to EMFs. The article highlights the main points of interaction of natural and man-made radiation with biomatter and reveals the physical theoretical background that explains the effects of man-made microwave radiation on biological matter. Moreover, the article extends its analysis on experimental quantum effects, establishing the “ionising-like” effects of man-made microwave radiation on biological matter.
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Vargová B, Majláth I, Kurimský J, Cimbala R, Zbojovský J, Tryjanowski P, Majláthová V. Locomotor Activity of Ixodes ricinus Females in 900 MHz Electromagnetic Field. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12060884. [PMID: 35743915 PMCID: PMC9228494 DOI: 10.3390/life12060884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mobile telecommunications technologies have become an indispensable part of people’s lives of all ages around the world. They affect personal life and social interactions and are a work tool in the work routine. Network availability requirements and the quality of the Internet connection are constantly increasing, to which telecommunications providers are responding. Humans and wildlife live in the permanent presence of electromagnetic radiation with just a minor knowledge of the impact this radiation has. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a 900 MHz electromagnetic field (EMF) on the locomotor behavior of female Ixodes ricinus ticks under laboratory conditions. Experiments were performed in the radiation-shielded tube (RST) test and radiation-shielded circular open-field arena placed in an anechoic chamber. Altogether, 480 female I. ricinus ticks were tested. In the RST arena, no differences in preference for irradiated and shielded parts of experimental modules were observed; in the open-field arena, the time spent and the trajectory passed was significantly longer in the part exposed to the EMF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blažena Vargová
- Center for Applied Research, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia;
| | - Igor Majláth
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 041 80 Košice, Slovakia;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +42-19-0367-6316
| | - Juraj Kurimský
- Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Mäsiarska 74, 041 20 Košice, Slovakia; (J.K.); (R.C.); (J.Z.)
| | - Roman Cimbala
- Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Mäsiarska 74, 041 20 Košice, Slovakia; (J.K.); (R.C.); (J.Z.)
| | - Ján Zbojovský
- Department of Electrical Power Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Mäsiarska 74, 041 20 Košice, Slovakia; (J.K.); (R.C.); (J.Z.)
| | - Piotr Tryjanowski
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Viktoria Majláthová
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 041 80 Košice, Slovakia;
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Yan S, Ju Y, Dong J, Lei H, Wang J, Xu Q, Ma Y, Wang J, Wang X. Paternal Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation Exposure Causes Sex-Specific Differences in Body Weight Trajectory and Glucose Metabolism in Offspring Mice. Front Public Health 2022; 10:872198. [PMID: 35602139 PMCID: PMC9120541 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.872198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, concerns about the harmful effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) on male fertility and offspring health are growing. In the present study, we investigated the effects of long-term exposure (at least 10 weeks) to the RF-EMR [2.0 GHz; power density, 2.5 W/m2; whole-body specific absorption rate (SAR), 0.125-0.5 W/kg] on male mice fertility and F1 growth and glucose metabolism. No significant injuries were observed in testis organization, sperm quality, and pregnancy rate. However, mice exposed to RF-EMR exhibited a significantly elevated apoptosis rate in testis germ cells. Interestingly, paternal RF-EMR exposure resulted in sex-specific weight trajectory differences and glucose metabolism changes in male F1 mice but not in female F1 mice. The changed glucose metabolism in F1 male may result from the altered gene expression of liver Gck. These data collectively suggested that 2.0 GHz RF-EMR whole-body exposure of male mice does not cause obvious impairment in testis, sperm quality, and pregnancy rate. Paternal RF-EMR exposure causes male-specific alterations in body weight trajectories and glucose metabolism of F1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Xiaohong Wang
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
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