- Is 5G dangerous?
- Radiofrequency Radiation and 5G Internet Connectivity
- Are 5G Towers Dangerous to Your Health?
5G is one of the most anticipated next-generation technologies of this generation. However, despite the good points and the exciting opportunities and features it offers, there are concerns on whether it is safe or a danger to mankind.
5G technology features a very high-frequency spectrum that raises theories that may possibly pose adverse effects to the health of the public.
The same anxiety is very common with other devices and technologies introduced to the public that features radio frequency. Electromagnetic radiation emitting devices are usually attributed to cancerous tumours. These and more usually create fears, hesitations and worries from the general public.
What is 5G?
5G has been rolling out in many areas in Australia through the major telecommunication companies in the country. Telstra have already launched 5G in several main cities of the region as well as other industry players like Optus and Vodafone.
As 5G begins to become available in many areas in Australia, it will eventually replace, or at least augment 4G LTE connection. Although it will not replace or compete with NBN and other home internet service in Australia, it is a technology to watch for, and to enjoy in Australia. 5G features faster download and upload speeds, offering possibilities for more technologies being introduced in different industries. Latency, another major problem with the current connectivity available today, will drastically decrease with the availability of 5G.
Radiofrequency Radiation and 5G Internet Connectivity?
RF or radiofrequency radiation is one of the main factors that add worries and anxiety with 5G's rollout. The truth is, radiation is not intimidating in its basic level. It is defined as the emission of energy, from any source, in this case, from the facilities and machineries that makes 5G accessible and possible for the public. The heat that comes from a human's body is also considered as radiation.
Radiofrequency radiation is also known as radio waves. According to the FDA, radiation is an electromagnetic energy and consists of waves of electric and magnetic energy that move together, or radiate through space.
What makes radio waves dangerous is its ionizing properties. Ionizing radio waves works like ultra-high-frequency radio waves, similar to gamma rays, can damage a person's DNA. Such damages in the DNA can lead to tumours and even cancer. Non-ionizing radio waves do not have this effect on human DNA. 5G, on the other hand, is neither ionizing nor non-ionizing waves.
Are 5G Towers Dangerous to Your Health?
What makes 5G scary and alarming for most people are studies that claim that prolonged exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields may increase the chances of damaging cells, one of the possible causes of cancer. However, these studies are not exclusive for 5G alone, 4G, 3G and other forms of wireless communications like Wi-Fi can also be easily connected with the dangers of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.
A study in 2019 conducted by the National Toxicology Program showed that exposure to RFR caused decreased body weights for pregnant rats during gestation. However, weights are returned to normal after birth, similar to the non-exposed rats. However, generally, male rats that were exposed to RFR lived longer compared to the non-exposed rats.
Based on these studies, a strong vindication whether 5G is indeed a threat to the public's health is not conclusive. If 5G is dangerous, 4G, 3G and other earlier deployed mobile connectivity technologies can be easily thought of as dangerous too.
If 5G is Not Dangerous, Is it Safe?
Although there are fears and studies that indicate slight possibilities of potential health risks related to radiofrequency radiation, there is no actual basis on whether 5G is dangerous for the public. In reality, a portable radio or a boom box close to you will release more radiation with similar frequencies compared to your 5G capable device sitting in your pocket.
The current studies that were conducted related to RF and 5G are not enough to support the adverse effects of these frequencies in humans. There is currently no study available that supports and indicates the adverse health effects in humans, due to a certain level of exposure.
5G also features mmWave. However, there is nothing to worry about 5G mmWave. Some agencies conducting health studies on the effect of 5G mmWave suggest that there is no significant health risk related to mmWaves. However, there are ways on how to reduce RF radiation and add peace of mind whenever you use your 5G capable devices.
How to Reduce RF Radiation Exposure
There are plenty of ways on how you can reduce radio frequency exposure and relieve yourself with the worries of RF and its potential effects on your health. One is sleeping away from your phone, far from your bed at night. When talking on your phone, you can use the speaker mode of your phone, use headphones or earbuds to place more distance between your head and the cellphone while on a call.
It would also be ideal to avoid making calls when the signal is weak. When a signal is weak, this causes cell phones to boost their RF transmission power. Texting, rather than calling, would also be an ideal option to choose to avoid exposure to radiation.
There are plenty of false conspiracies surrounding the link between 5G wireless networks and diseases. Some even claim that the origin of the coronavirus can be attributed with 5G. However, these conspiracies are baseless claims and there is no such proof that the radio waves used to transmit 5G can cause virus, cancer or weaken the immune system.
Even with these news and speculations about the effects of 5G to public health, this latest mobile technology is already slowly becoming available in Australia, and is beginning to change lifestyles and how we enjoy the internet. Despite the fears, there are still plenty of possibilities that can be enjoyed with 5G.
If 5G is dangerous and unsafe for the public, 4G and 3G can also be considered as unsafe for the public. But since there are no conclusive reports on the effects of 4G and 3G to public safety, 5G is nowhere as dangerous as conspiracies claim it to be.
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