• 31 OCT 21
    • 0

    New paper on 5G millimeter RF effects on mosquitos

    The following paper abstract raises an important question on the possibility that 5G mmWaves may have adverse effects on insect life, importantly not just mosquitos but all insects depending on their relative size and signal wave length. Why not conduct the study on pollinators to see what happens…..

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    Radio-frequency exposure of the yellow fever mosquito (A. aegypti) from 2 to 240 GHz.

    De Borre E, Joseph W, Aminzadeh R, Müller P, Boone MN, Josipovic I, Hashemizadeh S, Kuster N, Kühn S, Thielens A.

    PLoS Comput Biol. 2021 Oct 28;17(10):e1009460. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009460. Online ahead of print.

    PMID: 34710086

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34710086/

    Abstract

    Fifth generation networks (5G) will be associated with a partial shift to higher carrier frequencies, including wavelengths of insects. This may lead to higher absorption of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) by insects and could cause dielectric heating. The yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), a vector for diseases such as yellow and dengue fever, favors warm climates. Being exposed to higher frequency RF EMFs causing possible dielectric heating, could have an influence on behavior, physiology and morphology, and could be a possible factor for introduction of the species in regions where the yellow fever mosquito normally does not appear. In this study, the influence of far field RF exposure on A. aegypti was examined between 2 and 240 GHz. Using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulations, the distribution of the electric field in and around the insect and the absorbed RF power were found for six different mosquito models (three male, three female). The 3D models were created from micro-CT scans of real mosquitoes. The dielectric properties used in the simulation were measured from a mixture of homogenized A. aegypti. For a given incident RF power, the absorption increases with increasing frequency between 2 and 90 GHz with a maximum between 90 and 240 GHz. The absorption was maximal in the region where the wavelength matches the size of the mosquito. For a same incident field strength, the power absorption by the mosquito is 16 times higher at 60 GHz than at 6 GHz. The higher absorption of RF power by future technologies can result in dielectric heating and potentially influence the biology of this mosquito.

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