Speaker
Description
The 26 GHz band is the first high-band 5G frequency currently deployed in France and other European countries to increase bandwidth and address network saturation issues in situations of dense user concentration. As radiofrequency electromagnetic field sources (RF EMF) expand in coverage and introduce new frequency ranges and signal modulations, concerns arise about potential health effects. Radio waves of higher frequencies have greater bandwidths, carry higher photon energies and are absorbed superficially by the human body, making the skin the primary target of absorption. Here, we are interested in the question of oxidative stress in the skin. Oxidative stress can disrupt redox signaling and lead to biomolecule damage, on a cellular level and has been linked to aging, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer at the organism level.
We have developed three-dimensional, engineered dermal sheets grown through the proliferation of primary human fibroblasts, which secrete their own extracellular matrix, to act as an in vitro skin model. A biological incubator was converted into a RF EMF mode-stirred reverbation chamber, with the installation of an antenna and a metal agitator to homogenize the EMF. Dermal sheets were exposed to 5G-modulated, 26 GHz radio waves with power intensities ranging from 20 to 100 V/m2. We assessed mitochondrial superoxide production, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening and plasma membrane permeability using fluorescence microscopy, all of which are implicated in oxidative stress imbalance.
