Effects of electromagnetic fields on living organisms

Effects of electromagnetic fields on living organisms

As is known, living beings are subject to radiations of different origins and nature:
– the natural electromagnetic field, produced by the electromagnetic waves of the sun, the stars, by meteorological phenomena, by the subsoil, and by the earth itself which generates an electromagnetic field which interacts with the cosmos.
– environmental radioactivity, produced by radioactive atoms found in the ground, in the air and even within ourselves, which therefore generate electromagnetic waves.
However, in the last 80 years, these electromagnetic waves have been joined by sources of artificial electromagnetism, produced by systems that run on electricity or batteries (power lines, TV antennas, telephone and radio repeaters, wireless networks, televisions, cordless and transceiver, computers , printers, scanners, fax machines, household appliances, cell phones, etc.).
All devices that produce electric and magnetic fields (EMF) that propagate in space in the form of artificial electromagnetic waves.
Recent studies show that EMFs could pose a risk to the health of living organisms (including humans) as they cause heating of the body or its parts exposed to radiation.
The seriousness of this type of effect must be sought in the fact that this heating takes place inside the body and is not perceived by the sensory organs, so the body is unable to activate compensation mechanisms. Therefore the reduction or overproduction of certain substances in living organisms, exposed to these radiations for a long time, would explain the onset of genetic alterations.
Many studies have been conducted on how electromagnetic radiation can also affect the environment, including those carried out by EKLIPSE, a body that deals with global biodiversity, drawing the conclusion that the influence of EMF could represent a potential risk for the orientation of birds and disturb the magnetic “compass” used by many migratory birds and insects.
Furthermore, electromagnetic radiation also interferes with the orientation of insects, spiders and mammals and could even disturb the metabolism of plants. Precisely in Holland, several studies have recorded numerous anomalies in the growth of plants and in particular of trees, discoloration of the leaves and various forms of necrosis of plant tissues, etc. Ten years ago these anomalies affected 10% of the plants while today they would be present in almost all the trees exposed to radiation from EMC sources.
Not to overlook how numerous research studies have shown that radiation from electromagnetic waves have a negative impact on honey bees and probably also on other pollinating insects. These radiations produce biochemical changes, altering the behavior of bees and obviously impacting their reproduction, honey production and their role as pollinators.
All this would be leading to the danger of extinction of various organisms including bees from all over the world; phenomenon known as “Colony Collapse Disorder” (CCD).
This environmental disaster, faced by various researches, has been justified as an effect of various factors, such as the proliferation of pesticides, fungal pathogens, climate change and others.
However, in addition to increased exposure to pesticides, chemicals and infections, researchers have speculated that the ever-increasing stress of electromagnetic radiation exposure has weakened bee populations and decreased their ability to maintain their health.
Let us remember, as mentioned, that in the last 80 years the environmental levels of electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) have increased sharply, creating a new energy exposure that did not exist before. Power lines, cell phones, cell towers, and wireless contribute to varying degrees to what is called electromagnetic pollution.
Due to unique physiologies, some species of flora and fauna are sensitive to exogenous electromagnetic fields. These also include pollinators and honey bees.
In this sense, an authoritative American report on exposure to 5G denounces how the radiations of the fifth generation wireless are damaging animals and fauna in the wild, leading them to death. This response emerges from a recent report published in 2021 in the Reviews on Environmental Health magazine divided into three sections, created by researchers at the University of Washington and Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland).
This study, on the effects of electrosmog on flora and fauna, which contains over 200 pages and more than 1,000 scientific references in the bibliography, states that “biological effects have been widely observed at incredibly low intensities compared to today’s environmental exposures of radiofrequency waves non-ionizing.
In addition, numerous peer reviewed research studies have demonstrated that non-ionizing electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) radiation has a negative impact on honey bees and bumblebees: it can alter bee behaviour, induce biochemical changes and have an impact on their reproduction.

In fact, it is known (from numerous researches) that bees and all pollinating insects are endowed with a particular sensory modality which allows them to detect the electric fields of flowers, therefore they are particularly sensitive to interference from large quantities of electromagnetic radiation.
Electromagnetic waves disturb the orientation of bees, which have a specific organ to perceive magnetic forces, which allows them to navigate using their compass. A review by Ulrich Warnke (former researcher and board member of Saarland University in Germany) cites multiple studies and postulates that electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields disrupt the orientation and navigation of many birds and pollinators, contributing to complicate their navigation skills.
To these considerations we can add a study published in the journal Apidologie by the scientist Daniel Favre (University of Lausanne); in this research, after 83 tests conducted, by inserting mobile phones or inside a beehive or in the immediate vicinity, it was found that upon receiving a call, the behavior of the bees on average corresponds to the CCD syndrome which occurred with:
– increase in the buzzing of bees up to 10 times at the time of the call;
– abandonment of the hive and erratic disorientation and in many cases the death of the bees themselves.
The research was able to conclude that: “The present data strongly suggest that honey bee colonies are affected and disturbed by electromagnetic waves (RF-EMF)”.
Another study was conducted by some Indian researchers, in the adult workers of Apis mellifera L.; in the research the bees were subjected to radiation from a cell phone; compared to the control group (not subjected to radiation), there were influences in bee behavior and physiology. In the former, a reduced motor activity of the worker bees was noted, followed by a mass migration and movement towards the mobile phone.
The researchers were then able to verify that the initial quiet period was characterized by an increase in the concentration of biomolecules including proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, perhaps due to the stimulation of the body’s mechanism to combat the stress condition created by the radiation. In the later phases of the exposure, there was a slight decrease in the concentration of biomolecules probably because the body had adapted to the stimulus.
Other research found that beehives located near high-voltage power lines in fields as low as 4 Kv/m produced less honey and had higher mortality rates. It has also been observed that colonies exposed to strong electric fields produce less honey.
In addition, a significant drop in colony strength and queen spawning rate was observed. The behavior of the exposed foragers was negatively affected by the exposure, there was neither honey nor pollen in the colony at the end of the experiment, leading to the conclusion that radiation generated by mobile phones disturb the life cycle of bees and affect their system of reproduction and production of honey.
Another 2021 study (published in Animals journal) tested the effects of 50 Hz electromagnetic fields (EMF) (non-ionizing radiation emitted by power lines and electrical systems) on bees. In 12 hours, effects on the behavioral parameters of honey bees were found, concluding that “various intensities reduced the number of episodes of movement, contacts between individuals and self-cleaning”. Furthermore, compared to the control group, there was an increase in the activity of protease enzymes, which are involved in the response of the immune system. The researchers concluded that these results show that a 50 Hz electric field is a potential harmful factor for the bee.
Obviously, as always happens for scientific research, further investigations and confirmations are needed even if it appears quite evident that there is an urgent need to reduce exposure to electromagnetic radiation to protect the bee population and, more generally, the environment.
But the question we now have to ask ourselves is this: what do we mean by social progress if it questions the survival of our own civilization? Is it possible that we have to substantially change the same criterion of progress in favor of another, that is, of well-being?
I invite you to make this concluding reflection.
The term progress, according to some dictionaries, means:
– Advancement in a vertical direction, towards higher degrees or stages, therefore with the implicit concept of improvement, of evolution, of a gradual and continuous transformation from the good to the better, both in a limited ambit and in a broader and more total sense.
The term well-being, again according to some dictionaries, means:
– Happy state of health, physical and moral strength.
To all of us the reflections but perhaps the time has come to change our paradigm of thought and vision towards the real meaning of life, parametrizing our actions, our activities and our lifestyles towards a well-being that seriously questions that form of progress that has corrupted a civilization that has now come to an end.
Perhaps, like the Phoenix Arab, it is up to this dying civilization to lay the foundations for building a new civilization.

Guido Bissanti