This editorial introduces a special issue supporting the WHO assessment of health effects from RF-EMF exposure, based on nine protocols and twelve systematic reviews developed over four years by more than 80 experts. It summarizes that human evidence for major cancers was moderate-certainty for no or only small effects, with lower certainty for some cancer sites, while animal evidence reported higher-certainty effects for several cancer types and adverse effects on male fertility. For cognition, symptoms, and oxidative stress, certainty was generally lower and findings more variable, and the editors note ongoing methodological challenges and the possibility of unidentified mechanisms.

This protocol describes the third wave of the HERMES prospective adolescent cohort in Switzerland, with follow-up every four months and at one year. The study will assess electronic media use, modeled RF-EMF and transportation noise exposures, and a range of outcomes including cognition, behavior, sleep, mental health, and non-specific symptoms. A subsample will undergo personal RF-EMF measurements and accelerometer-based sleep/physical activity tracking.