Are Fears About 5G Valid?

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5G is the next generation of cell phone infrastructure, yet it is categorically different than its predecessors (4G/LTE, 3G, 2G, etc.). It is not a simple upgrade. It is a major increase – and change – in the type of wireless radiation to which we will all be exposed, without consent, whether we use this service or not.

5G builds on existing infrastructure and, in addition, uses extremely high (millimeter-wave) frequencies of 24 gigahertz (GHz) or more. These 5G signals don’t travel far, so antennas will be installed approximately every 2-10 homes in residential neighborhoods. 5G will significantly increase our wireless RF radiation (radio frequency microwave) exposure on a 24/7 and 365 days a year basis.

The government’s human exposure guidelines haven’t been updated in more than 20 years, while radiation from cell phones, cordless phones, WiFi and wireless baby monitors has increased exponentially in that time. So while there is a valid concern over existing radiation exposure to these existing technologies, there’s hasn’t been any ‘official’ statement yet on the extent of proposed 5G radiation.

No Safety Studies

In a February 2019 U.S. Senate hearing, senior telecom executives admitted they have not done any safety testing on 5G, nor do they plan to do any. Currently, there are over two dozen cities in the U.S. and countless cities abroad that have 5G, yet there is no scientific evidence to support any claim of safety for it.

What related research does show is cause for alarm. Thousands of independent studies indicate adverse health impacts from wireless radiation. These range from cancer and sterility to DNA damage. The government’s human exposure guidelines haven’t been updated in more than 20 years, while radiation from cell phones, cordless phones, WiFi and wireless baby monitors has increased exponentially in that time.

Planet Earth Blanketed in Radiation

The 5G agenda is vast. It includes 200 billion transmitting objects, according to estimates, that will be part of the Internet of Things (IoT) by the end of 2020, with one trillion transmitting objects a few years later. 5G is meant to usher in more robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles, including 5G antennas installed inside cars – behind our heads and irradiating our brains – so we can talk to people in other vehicles and instruct our driverless cars on where to take us.

5G base stations and 5G devices will have multiple antennas in phased arrays that work together to emit focused, steerable, laser-like beams that track each other. Each 5G phone will function like a mini cell tower, containing dozens of tiny antennas working together to track and aim a narrowly focused beam to search and connect with the nearest cell antenna. The FCC has adopted rules that permit those beams to be as much as 20 watts, ten times more powerful than levels allowed on current phones.

Numerous independent studies on millimeter-wave radiation already show a range of biological effects, indicating that an increase in frequencies may worsen harmful effects.

Alarming Evidence of Harm

More than 10,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies conducted by independent researchers from around the world demonstrate the harmful biological effects of wireless radiation. Because of their developmental stages, children are much more susceptible. In addition, wireless radiation effects are cumulative, putting children at greater risk.

Effects include:

• Detrimental effects on fetal and newborn development
• Detrimental effects on young children
• Brain tumors and other cancers
• DNA damage and altered gene expression
• Neurological effects and cognitive impairment
• Impaired sperm function and quality
• Learning and memory deficits
• Cardiovascular disease
• Altered metabolism
• And more

The mechanisms of biological harm from wireless radiation have not been well understood. Numerous independent studies on millimeter-wave radiation already show a range of biological effects, indicating that an increase in frequencies may worsen harmful effects.

Let’s Irradiate the Sky, Too

In addition to millions of new base stations on Earth, 5G includes an eventual 20,000+ satellites in low orbit, affecting the ionosphere. Players include Elon Musk’s SpaceX, OneWeb and Amazon. At this time, 66 5G satellites have already been launched, with more on the way. The direct radiation from these satellites, combined with their contamination of our ionosphere, along with pollution of the global electrical circuit, would likely be the cause of electron damage in ways we don’t yet understand.

So what does government research show?

Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well above most international and national guidelines. Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.”

The FCC’s RFR exposure limits regulate the intensity of exposure, taking into account the frequency of the carrier waves, but ignore the signaling properties of the RFR. Along with the patterning and duration of exposures, certain characteristics of the signal (e.g., pulsing, polarization) increase the biologic and health impacts of the exposure. New exposure limits are needed which account for these differential effects.

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified RFR as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” in 2011. Last year, a $30 million study conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) found “clear evidence” that two years of exposure to cell phone RFR increased cancer in male rats and damaged DNA in rats and mice of both sexes. The Ramazzini Institute in Italy replicated the key finding of the NTP using a different carrier frequency and much weaker exposure to cell phone radiation over the life of the rats.

The latest cellular technology, 5G, will employ millimeter waves for the first time in addition to microwaves that have been in use for older cellular technologies, 2G through 4G. Given limited reach, 5G will require cell antennas every 100 to 200 meters, exposing many people to millimeter wave radiation. 5G also employs new technologies (e.g., active antennas capable of beam-forming; phased arrays; massive multiple inputs and outputs, known as massive MIMO) which pose unique challenges for measuring exposures.

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced through a press release that the commission will soon reaffirm the radio frequency radiation (RFR) exposure limits that the FCC adopted in the late 1990s. These limits are based upon a behavioral change in rats exposed to microwave radiation and were designed to protect us from short-term heating risks due to RFR exposure.

Yet, since the FCC adopted these limits based largely on research from the 1980s, the preponderance of peer-reviewed research, more than 500 studies, have found harmful biologic or health effects from exposure to RFR at intensities too low to cause significant heating.

Millimeter waves are mostly absorbed within a few millimeters of human skin and in the surface layers of the cornea. Short-term exposure can have adverse physiological effects in the peripheral nervous system, the immune system and the cardiovascular system. The research suggests that long-term exposure may pose health risks to the skin (e.g., melanoma), the eyes (e.g., ocular melanoma) and the testes (e.g., sterility).

Since 5G is a new technology, there is no research on health effects, so we are “flying blind” to quote a U.S. senator. However, we have considerable evidence about the harmful effects of 2G and 3G. Little is known the effects of exposure to 4G, a 10-year-old technology, because governments have been remiss in funding this research. Meanwhile, we are seeing increases in certain types of head and neck tumors in tumor registries, which may be at least partially attributable to the proliferation of cell phone radiation. These increases are consistent with results from case-control studies of tumor risk in heavy cell phone users.

5G will not replace 4G; it will accompany 4G for the near future and possibly over the long term. If there are synergistic effects from simultaneous exposures to multiple types of RFR, our overall risk of harm from RFR may increase substantially. Cancer is not the only risk as there is considerable evidence that RFR causes neurological disorders and reproductive harm, likely due to oxidative stress.

The wildest 5G conspiracy theories explained — and debunked

5G is finally here, but as with many major breakthroughs, the new cellular tech has spawned a set of conspiracy theories, with everything ranging from the idea that 5G can cause cancer to the claim that it causes the coronavirus.

Do these theories have any validity behind them? And where did they come from in the first place? We did some digging to debunk even the wildest conspiracy theory surrounding 5G.

The physics of 5G

Before diving into 5G conspiracy theories, it’s important to note that 5G refers to a number of different technologies. For starters, 5G, which is technically just the 5th-generation of wireless technology, can span a range of frequencies. There are low-band radio frequencies, which offer a relatively slow internet connection but can travel longer distances. At the other end of the spectrum, there are high-band frequencies, or millimeter-wave frequencies. Connections on mmWave are much faster, but they struggle to get through obstacles and can’t travel long distances. Mid-band frequencies, as you would expect, offer medium-speed connections at medium distances.

Did 5G cause the coronavirus pandemic?

A relatively new theory suggests that 5G could be the cause of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19. Both the rollout of 5G and the first cases of coronavirus supposedly happened at the same time in late 2019, the theory claims.

Putting aside the fact that 5G actually started rolling out in 2018, this theory stems from linking the fact that the coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan, China. China also recently deployed one of the largest 5G networks in the world.

There are a number of other ways in which this conspiracy theory is wrong. For starters, while China did recently start launching its 5G network, 5G first started rolling out in South Korea and parts of the U.S. In other words, if coronavirus was caused by 5G, then we would have seen the virus in other parts of the world first.

Of course, that’s setting aside the very nature of viruses and the fact that radio waves have no impact on a virus’ development. Research has shown coronavirus spreads through droplets generated when someone sneezes or coughs. These droplets can exist on surfaces for a matter of hours, and can even hang in the air for up to a few minutes after someone sneezes.

Radio waves, however, are a form of electromagnetic wave. No droplets involved. In fact, while radio waves can travel through water, it’s actually harder for them to do so than through air.

Now, areas with high infection rates of coronavirus may be the same as areas with 5G — but if that’s true, it’s only because carriers are deploying their networks in highly populated metro areas first. Highly populated areas, where people are closer to each other, also happen to make the spread of a virus easier.

Last but not least is the fact that China isn’t using mmWaves for its 5G networks just yet — it’s only using sub-6 GHz waves, which fall in the mid-band spectrum. These radio waves, however, have been used for other things for years — all 4G towers use frequencies in this range, they’ve just been repurposed for 5G.

Is 5G helping to spread the coronavirus?

There is, however, a slightly toned-down version of the theory that coronavirus and 5G are linked — and that’s that while 5G didn’t cause coronavirus in the first place, it does impact the immune system, potentially worsening symptoms and speeding up the spread of the virus.

Now, it’s important to note that in extreme amounts, radio waves can cause heating, and your immune system might have trouble operating were you to heat up too much. In fact, that’s how microwaves operate.

There’s just one problem: The radio waves emitted by cell towers are nowhere near as high as they would need to be to cause any health issues.

The waves emitted by 5G towers aren’t just lower than that — they’re way lower. A number of scientific studies have been conducted on the link between non-ionizing waves — which are used for TV transmissions, and yes, 5G — and human health. Many organizations (as described above) suggest that more research needs to be conducted. But at this point in time there is little agreement between research groups and government agencies on how 5G waves can impact the human immune system.

So head to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or World Health Organization websites for real advice on how to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Can 5G be used to control the weather?

I wish. If 5G could control the weather, we could have always sunny days. Or, we could limit the impact of climate change.

The root of this theory comes from the idea that the government is using the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP to control the weather. HAARP is a facility that was built to study the ionosphere, and it’s located in Alaska. Soon after completing the project, however, the government shut down the facility and transferred its ownership to the University of Alaska.

But what does that have to do with 5G? Well, according to those who believe in this theory, the ionosphere is where so-called “5G satellites” are. The only problem is, 5G is more of a terrestrial standard at this point, and while satellites could theoretically eventually be used for 5G connectivity, at this point satellites have too long a latency and aren’t being used for 5G.

Can 5G be used for mind control?

This is one of the more far-out theories out there — but again, it’s untrue. 5G waves have had no effect on telekinesis or mental telepathy at all, so 5G alone physically can’t be used to control people’s minds.

For some, however, this theory has other components to it — namely that 5G is used to control tiny robots that are injected into the body through vaccines. As sci-fi as that might sound, this one’s false too: No one has mind-controlling mini-robots.

With all of this concern over 5G, from all political and scientific arenas, why not develop a similar technology but one that has been tested as safer? One solution is SafeG, wired public networks that allow for wireless inside homes and businesses without forcing it on everyone.

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