Authors
Associate Professor Ken Karipidis
Dr Chris Brzozek
Mr Rohan Mate
Dr Chhavi Raj Bhatt
Associate Professor Sarah Loughran
Professor Andrew Wood
Institutions
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
Journal
Environmental Evidence
Background
In many countries, humans are protected from harmful radio wave exposure by safety standards that are based on guidelines by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
However, there are currently no recognised international guidelines to specifically protect plants and animals.
Main findings
This systematic map paints the research landscape into the effects of radio waves on plants and animals in the environment. It found that the majority of the available studies are of poor quality. Further, there is a clear need to investigate radio wave exposure on more plant and animal species in their natural habitat, and to study further biological effects. It also found that much of the research has not investigated the effects of radio waves on plants and animals from new and emerging technologies like the 5G network.
Method
The systematic map included 334 studies (237 on animals and 97 on plants) from a review of 24,432 studies that were identified in the search.
Future opportunities
To ensure that the environment is protected from the harmful effects of radiation, more research needs to be done on the effects of radio waves including from high-frequency wireless technology to inform radiation and environmental protection agencies.
Link to study: Environmental Evidence
