Ants can be used as bio-indicators to reveal biological effects of electromagnetic waves from some wireless apparatus

Abstract

Society is confronted with an increasing number of applications making use of wireless communication. We also notice an increasing awareness about potentially harmful effects of the related electromagnetic fields on living organisms. At present, it is not realistic to expect that wireless communication will decrease or disappear within the near future. That is why we currently are investigating the mechanisms behind these effects and the effectiveness of possible solutions. In order to be efficient and effective, we designed and validated a fast and easy test on ants – these insects being used as a biological model – for revealing the effect of wireless equipments like mobile phones, smartphones, digital enhanced cordless telephone (DECT) phones, WiFi routers and so on. This test includes quantification of ants’ locomotion under natural conditions, then in the vicinity of such wireless equipments. Observations, numerical results and statistical results allow detecting any effect of a radiating source on these living organisms.

• Ants
• electromagnetic waves
• mobile phones
• personal computer
• WiFi apparatus

Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to M. Fillion-Robin who provided us with a WiFi apparatus, to J. Surbeck who informed us about potential harmful effect of modern PC, to J.-L. Guilmot who showed us the automatically activated WiFi function of a modern PC and to P. van der Vleuten who corrected the first version of our paper. Olle Johansson was supported for this study by grants from the Cancer and Allergy Foundation (Cancer- och Allergifonden), and the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. Einar Rasmussen, Kristiansand S, Norway, Brian Stein, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, UK, the Irish Campaign against Microwave Pollution, and the Irish Doctors Environmental Association (IDEA; Cumann Comhshaoil Dhoctúirí na hÉireann) are gratefully acknowledged for their general support.