In addition, Wi-Fi and other forms of wireless data transfer have become ubiquitous, and are globally available. Subsequently, the second (2G), third (3G), and fourth (4G, LTE) generations increased their penetration rates in the society in a dramatic way, so that today there are more devices than inhabitants of the Earth. The first generation of handheld mobile phones were available for individual, private, customers in a few countries in the late 1980’s. Recent decades have experienced an unparalleled development of technologies that are categorized as information and communication technologies (ICT), which include wireless communication used for mobile telephony (MP) and e.g., Wi-Fi by using electromagnetic fields (EMF). Our quality analysis shows that for future studies to be useful for safety assessment, design and implementation need to be significantly improved.

There is a need for research regarding local heat developments on small surfaces, e.g., skin or the eye, and on any environmental impact. The available studies do not provide adequate and sufficient information for a meaningful safety assessment, or for the question about non-thermal effects. There was no consistent relationship between power density, exposure duration, or frequency, and exposure effects. The responses affected all biological endpoints studied. Eighty percent of the in vivo studies showed responses to exposure, while 58% of the in vitro studies demonstrated effects. Each study was characterized for: study type (in vivo, in vitro), biological material (species, cell type, etc.), biological endpoint, exposure (frequency, exposure duration, power density), results, and certain quality criteria. This review analyzed 94 relevant publications performing in vivo or in vitro investigations. The question is if such higher frequencies (in this review, 6–100 GHz, millimeter waves, MMW) can have a health impact. The introduction of the fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication will increase the number of high-frequency-powered base stations and other devices.

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