Project SEAWave

The importance of mobile communications technologies has grown rapidly in recent years. The currently ongoing introduction of the fifth generation of the New Radio mobile communications system (5G) will increase networks’ speed and resilience. Operating on two frequency bands, 5G is one of the main driving forces behind the transition to industry 4.0. The SEAWave project aims to contribute to the scientific basis for assessing the health risks of 5G. Any health risks that the project uncovers will be communicated to EU citizens, authorities, committees and the industry sector.

The project’s interdisciplinary consortium consists of 15 well-known partner organizations from various EU countries. These organizations brought their respective expertise into their collaboration on 11 work packages over 36 months of research. Dr. Annette Bitsch of Fraunhofer ITEM is heading up the eighth work package, “Health Risk Studies: Biological Effects of 5G NR FR2 Exposure on human-derived skin cells.” Researchers in this team are looking into potential epigenetic effects, aneugenic effects and the transcriptomic landscape of human skin cells exposed in vitro. In particular, the investigations are focused on the potential co-carcinogenic effect of skin exposure and other dangerous impacts.