Design and Dosimetric Characterization of a Broadband Exposure Facility for In Vitro Experiments in the Frequency Range 18-40.5 GHz

Bioelectromagnetics · 2021 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

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UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 1023

Study snapshot

PublicationBioelectromagnetics · 2021

Study typeexposure_assessment

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Design and Dosimetric Characterization of a Broadband Exposure Facility for In Vitro Experiments in the Frequency Range 18-40.5 GHz Gernot Schmid, Rene Hirtl, Isabel Gronau, Vivian Meyer, Karen Drees, Alexander Lerchl. Design and Dosimetric Characterization of a Broadband Exposure Facility for In Vitro Experiments in the Frequency Range 18-40.5 GHz. Bioelectromagnetics. 2021 Oct 7. doi: 10.1002/bem.22376. Abstract A novel exposure facility for exposing cell monolayers to centimeter and millimeter waves (18-40.5 GHz) used by future 5G mobile communication technology and similar applications has been developed. A detailed dosimetric characterization of the apparatus for frequencies of 27 and 40.5 GHz and 60 mm petri dishes, used in a presently ongoing study on human dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes, was carried out. The exposure facility enables a well-defined, randomized, and blinded application of sham exposure and exposure with selectable values of incident power flux density, and additionally provides the possibility of continuous monitoring of the sample temperature during exposure while it does not require significant deviations from routine in vitro handling procedures, i.e. petri dishes are not required to be placed inside waveguides or TEM cells. Mean specific absorption rate (SAR) values inside the cell monolayer of 115 W/kg (27 GHz) and 160 W/kg (40.5 GHz) per watt antenna input power and corresponding transmitted power density (St ) values at the bottom of the cell monolayer of 65 W/m2 (27 GHz) and 70 W/m2 (40.5 GHz) per watt antenna input power can be achieved, respectively. For reasonable amounts of harvested cells (80% of petri dish bottom area), the variation (max/min) of SAR and St over the cell monolayer remains below 3.7 dB (27 GHz) and 3.0 dB (40.5 GHz), respectively. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeexposure_assessment

Effect directionunclear

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposuremmWave

Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 86% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

A broadband exposure facility for cell monolayers at 18–40.5 GHz was developed and dosimetrically characterized at 27 and 40.5 GHz using 60 mm petri dishes. Mean SAR values in the cell monolayer of 115 W/kg (27 GHz) and 160 W/kg (40.5 GHz) per watt antenna input power were reported, with corresponding transmitted power density values of 65 W/m^2 and 70 W/m^2 per watt antenna input power; SAR and transmitted power density variation over the harvested cell area remained below 3.7 dB (27 GHz) and 3.0 dB (40.5 GHz).

Outcomes measured

Design of a broadband in vitro exposure facility (18–40.5 GHz)
Dosimetric characterization at 27 and 40.5 GHz in 60 mm petri dishes
Mean SAR in cell monolayer per watt antenna input power
Transmitted power density (St) at bottom of cell monolayer per watt antenna input power
Spatial variation (max/min) of SAR and St over cell monolayer
Capability for randomized, blinded sham vs exposure and temperature monitoring

Limitations

No biological/health outcome results reported in the abstract (focus is facility design and dosimetry).
Dosimetric characterization described specifically for 27 and 40.5 GHz and 60 mm petri dishes; generalizability to other setups not stated.
Exposure duration and actual incident power flux density settings used are not provided in the abstract.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "mmWave",
    "source": "5G mobile communication technology (future) / similar applications; in vitro exposure facility",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Design of a broadband in vitro exposure facility (18–40.5 GHz)",
    "Dosimetric characterization at 27 and 40.5 GHz in 60 mm petri dishes",
    "Mean SAR in cell monolayer per watt antenna input power",
    "Transmitted power density (St) at bottom of cell monolayer per watt antenna input power",
    "Spatial variation (max/min) of SAR and St over cell monolayer",
    "Capability for randomized, blinded sham vs exposure and temperature monitoring"
  ],
  "main_findings": "A broadband exposure facility for cell monolayers at 18–40.5 GHz was developed and dosimetrically characterized at 27 and 40.5 GHz using 60 mm petri dishes. Mean SAR values in the cell monolayer of 115 W/kg (27 GHz) and 160 W/kg (40.5 GHz) per watt antenna input power were reported, with corresponding transmitted power density values of 65 W/m^2 and 70 W/m^2 per watt antenna input power; SAR and transmitted power density variation over the harvested cell area remained below 3.7 dB (27 GHz) and 3.0 dB (40.5 GHz).",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "No biological/health outcome results reported in the abstract (focus is facility design and dosimetry).",
    "Dosimetric characterization described specifically for 27 and 40.5 GHz and 60 mm petri dishes; generalizability to other setups not stated.",
    "Exposure duration and actual incident power flux density settings used are not provided in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.86,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "in vitro",
    "exposure facility",
    "dosimetry",
    "millimeter waves",
    "centimeter waves",
    "18-40.5 GHz",
    "27 GHz",
    "40.5 GHz",
    "5G",
    "SAR",
    "power flux density",
    "sham exposure",
    "blinded",
    "randomized",
    "temperature monitoring",
    "petri dish"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "Facility targets frequencies (including mmWave) described as used by future 5G mobile communication technology."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1002/bem.22376
PubMed: 34622469

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