Electromagnetic pollution and wildlife

October 3, 2021

Is electromagnetic pollution damaging wildlife?

Yes, it is, according to a major new scientific publication.

Blake Levitt, Henry Lai and Albert Manville reviewed research on the effects of electromagnetic fields on plants and animals and their findings have recently been published in a 3-part, 200plus-page report in Reviews on Environmental Health.

The review found that the exposure of wildlife has increased over recent decades. They referred to one study that compared exposures in 1980 and today and observed ‘a 70-fold (7,000%) increase in ambient RFR [radiofrequency radiation]’.

The review found that not only are plants and animals affected by this electromagnetic pollution, but that they are affected at even lower levels than those that affect people – at ‘vanishing low intensities.’ Moreover, the effects occur across a range of frequencies emitted by different technologies.

How they will be affected by 5G remains to be seen but the authors noted that ‘The increased infrastructure required for 5G networks will widely infuse the environment with new atypical exposures’.

The researchers found that electromagnetic pollution affected:

  • orienting and migrating

  • finding food

  • mating and reproducing

  • constructing nests and dens

  • maintaining and defending territory

  • lifespan and survival.

Plants and animals are not being protected from this damage as there are no standards pertaining to wildlife, the authors said.

They concluded that there is an urgent need to address this problem and introduce standards that accommodate wildlife. Moreover, electromagnetic fields should be recognised as a pollutant and regulated like other pollutants.

  • Levitt, B. Blake, Lai, Henry C. and Manville, Albert M.. "Effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on flora and fauna, part 1. Rising ambient EMF levels in the environment" Reviews on Environmental Health, vol. , no. , 2021, pp. 000010151520210026. https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0026;

  • Levitt, B. Blake, Lai, Henry C. and Manville, Albert M.. "Effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on flora and fauna, Part 2 impacts: how species interact with natural and man-made EMF" Reviews on Environmental Health, vol. , no. , 2021, pp. 000010151520210050. https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0050

  • Levitt, B. Blake, Lai, Henry C. and Manville, Albert M.. "Effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on flora and fauna, Part 3. Exposure standards, public policy, laws, and future directions" Reviews on Environmental Health, vol. , no. , 2021, pp. 000010151520210083. https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2021-0083

What you can do

  • Limit your use of technologies that contribute to electromagnetic pollution:

    • use a wired phone instead of a mobile phone

    • use wired, rather than wireless, internet

    • set up radiation-free, nbn-compatible equipment for safe internet and landline phones. 

  • Make your home safe with our new online course, Your Electromagnetic-safe Home

What else you can do

  • If you found the information above of interest, please forward this email to others.

  • If you’d like more information, you can download our latest issue of EMR and Health here.

  • If you’ve been sent this message by a friend and would like to subscribe to future updates, you can do that here.

  • Book a phone consultation to find answers to your questions 

Back to Blog