Project Overview

Let’s talk about SEAWave!

The full title of the SEAWave project is

Scientific-Based Exposure and Risk Assessment of Radiofrequency and mm-Wave Systems from children to elderly (5G and Beyond).

It is co-funded by Horizon Europe and SERI (Switzerland). It aims to contribute to the scientific basis for health risk assessment of 5G and offer the means for effective health risk communication and results dissemination to all stakeholders, ranging from citizens and national regulators, to standardization bodies and the industry.

The pervasiveness and social-economic dependence on wireless technology has steadily increased over the last three decades. Currently, the 5th generation (5G) New Radio (NR) cellular system is being deployed to unlock the potential of new applications that require the connection of many more devices (Internet of Things), higher data rates and low latency (autonomous driving, ‘Factory of the Future’). 5G operates in two frequency bands, 5G NR FR1 and 5G NR FR2. Many exposure parameters of 5G are similar to those of 2G-4G. However, there are also many differences that lead to major knowledge gaps, all of which will be addressed by the SEAWave project.

SEAWave Methodology

SEAWave is organised in 11 work packages (WP) that are interlinked. Project SEAWave will:

Quantify the differences in exposure patterns between 2G-4G and 5G for the entire population including children

Provide new tools and instruments for reliable exposure evaluation of base stations, local networks in factories, and end-user devices

Provide the means to minimise exposure

Generate important new scientific data for assessing the health risk from exposure to the new frequency bands (FR2), especially with regard to the potential (co-)carcinogenicity of skin exposure and other hazardous effects

Provide knowledge for effective health risk communication and dissemination to various stakeholders

To achieve these ambitious objectives, the interdisciplinary consortium consists of highly experienced partners with leading expertise in the field who ideally complement each other to achieve maximum impact. European citizens, workers, national public health authorities, European Commission services, regulators, and standardisation bodies will all benefit from the SEAWave results as they will support science-based decisions and policies for the safe deployment and use of 5G and future wireless networks.

Project SEAWave is part of the European research cluster on EMFs and Health (CLUE-H)

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