The rapid advances in recent years in the field of wireless technologies that use radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and the evolution of their applications (mobile phone systems and wifi) have led to increasing concern about the possible adverse effects on the health of the exposed population, especially against 5G technology which is perceived by some as a serious threat to public health.
To clarify the topic and provide reliable information accessible to all, the NextGEM (Next Generation Integrated Sensing and Analytical System for Monitoring and Assessing Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure and Health) project, recently funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe program and which involves researchers from the Bioelectromagnetics group of the Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of the Environment (IREA), will provide rapid and reliable access to relevant scientific knowledge on the subject.
Thanks to the specific skills of the 20 institutions involved, NextGEM will create a reference tool for European regulatory authorities, the scientific community and citizens regarding what concerns exposure to electromagnetic fields and potential health risks. Specifically, NextGEM will combine the scientific research dimension with the more specifically technological one. In particular, the first is aimed at estimating the effects of EMF exposure through experimental studies on humans, small organisms and cells in culture. The second is aimed at gathering information on EMF measurements under realistic exposure conditions, and at assessing the health risk presented to the population and stakeholders through effective means of communication.