Expert statement in health physics journal seeks to counter online misinformation.
Experts weigh in on recent online reports that warn of frightening health consequences from new fifth generation (5G) wireless networks. Within current exposure limits, there appears to be little or no risk of adverse health effects related to radiofrequency (RF) exposure from 5G systems, concludes an evidence-based expert review in the June issue of Health Physics, official journal of the Health Physics Society. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
“While we acknowledge gaps in the scientific literature, particularly for exposures at millimeter-wave frequencies, [we judge] the likelihood of yet unknown health hazards at exposure levels within current limits to be very low, if they exist at all,” according to the statement by the Committee on Man and Radiation (COMAR) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). As outlined by its Chair, Richard A. Tell, COMAR is an organization composed of physicians, biologists, epidemiologists, engineers, and physical scientists who are experts on health and safety issues related to electromagnetic fields who work voluntarily and collaboratively on a consensus basis.
5G Networks Unlikely to Cause Exposure Above Current Safety Limits
The consensus statement seeks to counter the rise in alarming messages regarding the mysterious health effects of 5G technology. “This misinformation together with activist websites expressing even more ominous consequences of 5G – ranging from cancer induction to being responsible for the current coronavirus pandemic – has created substantial and unnecessary public anxiety,” comments Jerrold T. Bushberg of the University of California Davis School of Medicine and Vice-Chair of COMAR.
Fifth-generation wireless systems are expanding worldwide to meet the rapidly increasing demand for wireless connectivity. The new technology can transmit much greater amounts of data at much higher speeds, compared to previous 2G to 4G systems. That’s in part because 5G uses the greater bandwidth available at higher frequencies, including the so-called millimeter-wave (MMW) band. Expansion of 5G “will produce a more ubiquitous presence of MMW in the environment,” according to the report.
Because MMW does not penetrate foliage and building materials as well as lower-frequency signals, many lower-power “small cell” transmitters will be needed to provide effective indoor coverage. Some 5G systems will have “beamforming” antennas that transmit signals to individual users as they move around, which means that nonusers will have less exposure.
Tissue heating is the main potential harmful effect of exposure to RF fields. Most countries, including the United States, have adopted exposure limits similar to those recommended by the recent standards (2019) published by IEEE International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (ICES) or the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). These guidelines seek to avoid harmful effects by setting exposure limits far below the threshold at which any adverse human health effects would be expected to occur. These standards only allow for low levels of public RF exposures for which the energy is deposited in the form of thermal heating.
The COMAR statement provides perspectives to address concerns about the possible health effects of 5G exposure:
- In contrast to lower-frequency fields, MMW does not penetrate beyond the outer layer of the skin – and thus does not produce heating of deeper tissues.
- The introduction of 5G is unlikely to change overall levels of RF exposure. As is currently the case, most exposure will be mainly due to “uplink” from one’s own cell phone or other devices – not from transmission from base stations.
- In nearly all publicly accessible locations, RF exposures from cellular base stations, including 5G stations will remain small – a fraction of current IEEE or ICNIRP exposure limits.
“[S]o long as exposures remain below established guidelines, the research results to date do not support a determination that adverse health effects are associated with RF exposures, including those from 5G systems,” concludes the COMAR statement. The Committee acknowledges limitations of the current evidence on possible health and safety effects of 5G exposure and identifies key areas for further research, including high-quality studies of the biological effects of MMW.
Reference: “IEEE Committee on Man and Radiation–Comar Technical Information Statement: Health and Safety Issues Concerning Exposure of the General Public to Electromagnetic Energy from 5G Wireless Communications Networks” by Bushberg, J.T.; Chou, C.K.; Foster, K.R.; Kavet, R.; Maxson, D.P.; Tell, R.A. and Ziskin, M.C., 22 June 2020, Health Physics.
DOI: 10.1097/HP.0000000000001301
Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.
Follow us on Google and Google News.
7 Comments
The “Experts” are whores bought and paid for by the 5G promoters.
Who are you trying to fool? This is an absolute LIE coming from all those who are financially invested in the 5G scam! ALL of the 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G radiation is harmful to people, animals, insects, and the environment. There is a definite correlation to the HUGE increase in chronic disease and illness in the last 25+ years. RF gradually harms and kills!!
Radiation is never a positive, but you just blamed all the chronic illness on one variable. One main variable is all the crap people eat and drink. Obesity is to blame for most of the chronic illness along with alcohol abuse, nicotine, and the plethora of drugs legal/illegal. Add in some physical abuse as well, we got some very disturbed folks, I know I met many of them in my job.
5g broadband has to be given to telecom companies free of cost.this will lead to faster development and can reach masses at affordable price. Benefiting very large population of the world. This will lead to rapid growth of communication and IT industries. The government’s will get back auction money in form of tax. It will make whole economy more productive.it improves people’s life’s in very many ways.communication and information technology has seeped through out all business and industries.
I cannot avoid mention of Huawei the Chinese telecom company owened by Chinese army. Developed countries has to pool billions of dollars to invent better 5g technology. This technology has to be given free of cost to all companies of the world. This will make 5g telecom cheap for customers. And reduce dependence on Huawei. It avoids massive and realtime spying of Chinese. China is very serious about becoming super power.
Never mind the risk from “unknown? health hazards. What about the known risks of existing, less powerful telecoms systems, revealed in thousands of reports cited in a petition submitted to the UN and national governments by concerned scientists, doctors and environmentalists? But who cares so long as big business, governments and media outlets make literally a killing out of the worldwide profits from this suspect, totally untried and untested technology. Just one more case of putting profit before people.
5G will usher in the dawn of the Robot/AI age, 5G is as fast as a Giga line, thus the Robots/AI will be able to run without running fiber. 80 million jobs are about to start drying up with Robots/AI taking your place, is the future, maybe sooner then anyone knows. Gates/Bezos/Musk/Others are working at light speed to make this happen.
We need names so they can be held to account for this blatant fabricated deception. 5G was developed as a weapon to cause bodily harm..