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Exposure to 5G-NR electromagnetic fields affects larval development of Aedes aegypti mosquito

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Abstract

Telecommunication networks, including 5G New Radio (5G-NR), emit these fields and consequently expose many insects. To quantify the potential effect of RF-EMF exposure on insects, a study was designed examining the development of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a major vector of dengue and other pathogens, as model organism exposed to RF-EMFs at 3.6 GHz. A custom exposure setup, a reverberation chamber, was designed, built, and characterized. Numerical simulations made it possible to calculate doses received by the larvae during the exposure. Larvae were reared on two feeding regimes, differing in nutritional value, and exposed for 5 days. At an RF exposure level of 46.2 V/m and absorbed power of 1.2 (upmu)W, a slower development occurred, especially for weakened larvae. At an RF exposure level of 182.6 V/m and 18.7 (upmu)W absorbed power, dielectric heating changed development timing and adult size.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. The 3D model generated and/or analysed during the current study is available in the Zenodo repository, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13881907.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the FWO under grant agreement no. G033220N (A.T.). Ghent University Special Research Fund is acknowledged for the financial support through projects BOF.EXP.2017.0007 and BOF.COR.2022.008 (M.N.B.) and through grant BOF.CDV.2024.0064.01 (E.D.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information Technology, Ghent University – Imec, Ghent, 9000, Belgium

    Eline De Borre

  2. Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, 4123, Switzerland

    Charles De Massia & Pie Müller

  3. University of Basel, Basel, 4001, Switzerland

    Charles De Massia & Pie Müller

  4. Centre for Xray Tomography (UGCT), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium

    Matthieu N. Boone

  5. Photonics Initiative, Advanced Science and Research Center, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, 10030, USA

    Arno Thielens

Authors

  1. Eline De Borre
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  2. Charles De Massia
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  3. Matthieu N. Boone
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  4. Pie Müller
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  5. Arno Thielens
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Contributions

E.D., C.D., P.M., A.T. conceived the experiments, E.D. and C.D. conducted the experiments, E.D. and C.D. analysed the experimental results, E.D. conducted the simulations and characterized the RC, M.N.B. scanned the insect and created the 3D model. E.D. wrote the main manuscript text, all authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to
Eline De Borre or Arno Thielens.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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De Borre, E., De Massia, C., Boone, M.N. et al. Exposure to 5G-NR electromagnetic fields affects larval development of Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Sci Rep (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32816-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32816-y

Keywords

  • Yellow fever mosquito
  • Radio-frequency
  • Electromagnetic Exposure
  • Reverberation Chamber
  • Insect Development
  • 5G

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