04/28/2019 / By Cassie B.
Don’t get caught up in the hype when your phone company starts promoting its upcoming 5G service. Is it cutting-edge technology? Yes. Is it faster than previous iterations? Certainly. Will they make a lot of money from it? Absolutely. But is it safe? Many experts believe the answer to that question is a firm “NO.”
The new 5G system uses microwave frequencies that are in the 1mm wavelength. Such millimeter waves operate at a higher frequency and are readily absorbed by buildings, foliage and your body. The long-term effects that such short microwaves can have on your health have not yet been tested. Instead, the FCC and telecommunication firms are working on the assumption they are safe based on some research from 1996.
Unfortunately, researchers have since learned that our existing cellular systems for 3G and 4G are having a significant negative impact on health. Peer-reviewed scientific studies have associated wireless cell phone radiation and 2G, 3G, and 4G systems with problems like impaired fertility, cognitive issues, and brain cancer.
For example, a recent $25 million study that was carried out by the National Institutes of Health linked 2G and 3G radiation from cell phones to a rise in tumors of the heart and brain, along with a statistically significant rise in heart muscle damage.
Some researchers have also uncovered a link between wireless radiation and antibiotic resistance. Swiss researchers have found that electromagnetic fields from wireless networks and cell phones can cause attention deficit disorder, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, insomnia, and health arrhythmias. If 4G is bad for you and 5G will be as much as 100 times faster, it’s pretty easy to connect the dots here.
To bring 5G service to the masses, “small cell” transmitters will be placed virtually everywhere as they need to be spaced roughly 500 feet apart. In some urban areas, there will be at least one antenna for every 10 to 12 homes. They’ll be mounted atop buildings, utility poles, street signs, and schools, and it will be extremely difficult to avoid them. It has been estimated that a 5G system will generate a daily microwave exposure that is equivalent to going inside a microwave oven and cooking yourself for 19 minutes per day.
Moreover, it is made up of directed energy rather than spread energy, which means higher doses will be able to enter your body – especially your brain if you’re talking on a mobile phone. Although it’s impossible to know what the long-term effects of exposure could be, those in areas where 5G has been tested are already experiencing side effects.
For example, after 5G was installed at their fire house, a San Francisco team of firefighters reported experiencing symptoms like memory loss and confusion; the problems didn’t go away until they transferred to other stations. Other areas where the new technology is being used have reported miscarriages and nosebleeds.
While U.S. regulators are essentially looking the other way, Germany is being more cautious. The country’s Federal Office for Radiation Protection has called for an investigation into 5G health risks, saying: “The technology is still too young to draw a conclusion.”
In other words, we don’t really know what will happen to people 20 years from now as a result of all this radiation exposure – but all the signs point to serious harm.
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