Let’s talk about RF-EMF exposure and 5G!
The Ideas for Change team, organised a workshop with experts and people interested in 5G and electromagnetic fields. The session aimed to co-create the best way to design the app that measures exposition to RF-EMF and its content.
Twice a year IFC brings together its community in the Beers4Change event, a special occasion to get to know projects and professionals working in the innovation and social impact fields. During the last session, the ETAIN team in Barcelona organised a workshop to shed light on the project's mission and provide a platform for discussions around electromagnetic fields and 5G while highlighting how citizens can actively contribute to generating scientific knowledge on this important and pressing topic.
The session was structured in two different sections. The first part was theoretical, where the IFC team explained key concepts around exposure such as and RF-EMF and how 5G changed the previous settings, as well as a reflection on the importance of including citizens' perspectives and experiences in scientific research in the ETAIN. There was also time to debate and clarify misconceptions surrounding this complex subject matter with the attendees. Subjects such as
When my phone has poor coverage, is the exposure to the electromagnetic fields it causes also low?
The newer the mobile phone technology (e.g. 3G, 4G, 5G), the more harmful are the electromagnetic fields?
When my phone is in flight mode, it does not generate any exposure to electromagnetic fields?
were some of the questions discussed during the session which enabled an interesting exchange of knowledge and experience among the participants, some of them relevant experts in the subjects, and some others curious or concerned about the possible effects. Researchers from the technological field, people from the health sectors or citizens interested in the project were some of the target public.
However, the more enriching part was the final interactive session that encouraged participants to exchange their experiences and ideas, focusing on the co-design of the ETAIN app that has to collect people’s data on exposure to electromagnetic fields. The idea was that citizens designed how they imagine the application, which indicators they would like to see and the appearance of their personal profile within the app. This helped us improve the later user experience, contributing to its development in a comprehensive, easy and catchy way.
After the session, participants were invited to the #Beers4Change event to foster networking and further stimulating conversations surrounding the crucial issues discussed during the workshop.
In conclusion, the workshop offered a very good opportunity to delve into the ETAIN topics, gain insights from the scientific domain team and learn from the various subject matter experts and curious minds attending and providing insights, and lately, to actively contribute to the research process. By engaging citizens and harnessing collective knowledge, the project aims to co-design the app and encourage citizens participation in scientific projects.
