Couple who climbed to top of Empire State Building risked being exposed to dangerous impacts of radio wave exposure

The couple who scaled the Empire State Building, where they got engaged, could have put their lives at risk – and not because of the dangerous height.

Ivan Kuznetsov, 32, and Angela Nikolau, 33, caused chaos in midtown Manhattan after they went on to scale the 1,454-foot structure without any safety tethers to keep them safe and secure to the building.

Dressed in black and wearing masks that looked like cat woman and batman, the pair ended up at the antenna, where they attached a giant banner which read: "When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace."

On the way down, however, Kuznetsov decided that this would be the best time he proposed, with Nikolau accepting and the whole thing being caught on camera thanks to news helicopters at the scene.

While safe now after the craziness, things could have turned out differently had the pair been exposed to the antenna radio waves.

Thankfully, the Empire State Building reportedly shut down its high-frequency antenna transmission during the incident so that the couple wouldn’t be exposed to the waves, which the Federal Communications Commission say could have caused internal health issues.

This is because the frequency causes ‘excessive heat’ that has nowhere to escape the body, which could cause thermal damage.

The website wrote: “Tissue damage in humans could occur during exposure to high RF levels because of the body's inability to cope with or dissipate the excessive heat that could be generated. Two areas of the body, the eyes and the testes, are particularly vulnerable to RF heating because of the relative lack of available blood flow to dissipate the excess heat load.”

Per Belis Laser, thermal risk is ‘not a concern with everyday devices’, but it is 'a known occupational hazard for individuals working very close to high-power RF sources, such as powerful broadcasting antennas or industrial heating and sealing equipment.’

It noted: “Without proper safety procedures in these environments, the concentrated RF energy can cause severe localized heating, resulting in deep burns and permanent tissue damage.”

So, it’s a good thing that the waves were turned off.

Despite the two being rescued by authorities and allegedly cooperating, the pair are said to be facing a lengthy list of charges.

This includes the likes of burglary, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, possession of burglar tools, criminal tampering and disorderly conduct.