Investigating the impact of anthropogenic radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on animals and plants in the environment: analysis from a systematic map

ABSTRACT

Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) from anthropogenic sources have become ubiquitous in the environment. International guidelines have been set by expert scientific bodies to protect human health from excessive exposure. There are no specifically established exposure guidelines to protect plants and animals. A previous systematic map identified 334 studies investigating the effects of RF EMF exposure from anthropogenic sources on animals and plants. This study aimed to analyse the effect of RF EMF and its relationship to different exposure parameters and the quality of those studies. Statistically significant inverse relationships were found between effect size and exposure-level parameters for studies investigating effects in animals. The results indicated that quality score is more indicative of the magnitude of the effect size than exposure-level parameters or exposure duration. This highlights the need for further, high-quality research on the effects of RF EMF exposure on plants and animals.

KEYWORDS:

• Radiofrequency electromagnetic field
• environment
• fauna
• flora

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their feedback.

Disclosure statement

KK, CBr, CBh, RM and SL as part of their employment at ARPANSA provide advice to the Australian Government, Australian States and Territories and the general public on the effects and risks of exposure to ionising and non-ionising radiation. KK and SL are also members of the main commission and scientific expert group, respectively, of the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection where they contribute in the development and dissemination of science-based advice on limiting exposure to non-ionising radiation. KK, AW and CBr are members of systematic review teams into the WHO assessment of health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. SL is a member of the WHO Task Group on Radiofrequency Fields and Health Risks. No member of the mapping team screened or extracted data from any study in which he or she is an author.

Author contributions

The initial review questions were developed by CBr and KK. CBr and KK developed the search and data extraction strategies. CBr, KK, CBh and RM screened the articles and conducted the data extraction. KK, CBr and RM conducted the data analysis. CBr wrote the manuscript with contributions from KK, AW, SL, RM and CBh. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Availability of data and materials

The data generated and analysed in this systematic map are available online [29].

Ethics approval and consent to participate

No ethics approval and consent to participate was required.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Australian Government’s Electromagnetic Energy Program