An excellent resource from Physicians for Safe Technology is Environmental and Wildlife Effects. This Scientific Literature Page is organized into a group of brief topic summaries followed by detailed lists of scientific references.
Bees and other insects
Bees
Insects such as bees use magnetic fields to navigate. Existing wireless radiation has been found in studies to interfere with bee navigation and health and is theorised to be an important factor behind reduced bee populations as seen in the following studies:
Behavioural effects (Kumar 2011, Favre 2011)
Disrupted navigation (Goldsworthy 2009, Sainudeen 2011, Kimmel et al 2007)
Decreased egg laying (Sharma and Kumar, 2010)
Reduced colony strength (Sharma and Kumar, 2010, Harst et al, 2006)
Insect decimation & 75% decline in protected areas (Hallmann, Sorg and Jongejans, 2017) Read full article.
Exposure to cell phone radiations produces biochemical changes in worker honey bees
Cell phone usage is a major public health concern because of potential risk of chronic exposure to low level of radiofrequency and microwave radiation that pulse off the phone antennae in close proximity to the head. These concerns have induced a large body of research, both epidemiological and experimental, in humans and animals. Honeybees are reliable indicators of environmental status and possess several important ecological, ethological, and morphological characteristics. They are the best experimental animals to study the effect of electromagnetic waves because they possess in their abdomen magnetite granules which help the bees in their orientation flight. Moreover, the integument of bees has semiconductor functions.
Insects
25 page essay: Written in 2008 – China.
Are The Microwaves Killing the Insects, Frogs, and Birds?
And Are We Next?
February 18th , 2008 By Paul Raymond Doyon
There are many patents for using microwaves as pesticides – see Microwave Radiation Insecticide Patents.
Study: Exposure of Insects to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields from 2 to 120 GHz
Arno Thielens, Duncan Bell, David B. Mortimore, Mark K. Greco, Luc Martens & Wout Joseph Scientific Reports 8, Article number: 3924 (2018)
A shift of 10% of the incident power density to frequencies above 6 GHz would lead to an increase in absorbed power between 3–370%. This could lead to changes in insect behaviour, physiology, and morphology over time due to an increase in body temperatures, from dielectric heating. The studied insects that are smaller than 1 cm show a peak in absorption at frequencies (above 6 GHz), which are currently not often used for telecommunication, but are planned to be used in the next generation of wireless telecommunication systems
Birds
There have been many anecdotal reports of mass bird deaths at 5G masts. These reports have been widely dismissed as ‘fake news.’ However, given the volume of these reports they would seem to warrant further investigation. This is particularly so given that the hearts of animals and birds function electromagnetically and that heart palpitations are also an anecdotally-recorded symptom of electrosensitivity.
Microbes
The published study ‘Effect of Mobile Tower Radiation on Microbial Diversity in Soil and Antibiotic Resistance’ reports antibiotic resistance found in microbes near base stations. Conclusion: ‘Mobile tower radiations can significantly alter the vital systems in microbes and turn them multi drug resistant which is a most important current threat to public health.’
Overall harm to wildlife
The US group Physicians for Safe Technology state that ‘there is convincing emerging scientific evidence causing great concern for the environment, with harm to mammals, insects and bacteria…5G technology will also consume significant amounts of energy, contrary to global climate goals.’
The EMF Scientist Appeal state that ‘damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.’
The Environmental Health Trust lists studies on the impact of wireless radiation which show a significant threat to wildlife including bees, other insects, birds and mammals, as well as to plants and trees. Microwave radiation was shown to disrupt migration and navigation systems in a number of species and trials of 5G triggered adverse effects including extreme agitation in cattle.
Bees, Butterflies And Wildlife: Research On Electromagnetic Fields And The Environment
Species destruction: Researcher Alfonso Balmori reports in his peer-reviewed article that two-thirds of studies show ecological effects to species from electrosmog. He writes that “At the present time, there are reasonable grounds for believing that microwave radiation constitutes an environmental and health hazard…. Controls must be introduced and technology rendered safe to the environment, since this new ubiquitous and invisible pollutant could deplete the efforts devoted to species conservation.” 1
The Eklipse Report, funded by the EU, reviewed 97 studies on how electromagnetic radiation may affect the environment and concluded that it could indeed pose a risk to bird and insect orientation and plant health.
Mark Shardlow of insect conservation charity Buglife has commented that There is a credible risk that 5G could impact significantly on wildlife.
Trees
Trees partially block 5G radiation pathways. A White Paper from the University of Surrey on advancing 5G use recommends taller masts in order to overcome the problem of trees interfering with signals. However, reports of unprecedented amounts of tree-felling have been made during the last year around urban areas where 5G infrastructures are being established. These reports are unsubstantiated and it has yet to be officially confirmed whether or not they relate to 5G signals, but would seem to warrant further investigation. Council websites state only that trees may be cut down if they are dead, diseased, or for ‘planning purposes.’
A study of 100 trees over a nine-year period has found that the side of trees facing an antenna sustains damage (Waldmann-Selsam, 2016).
Plants such as pine needles and watercress have been demonstrated to age quickly and die when in proximity to very low frequency radio waves.