Editor's note: This is part of GlobalSpec's Point/Counterpoint series of articles, which seeks to foster constructive discussion around divisive topics in technology and science. Read this article's companion piece, Counterpoint: Little data to support 5G health risks, but it might save lives.
There has been a news and discussion about 5G technology for the past few years, yet the process of rolling out the new standard wireless communication was started in earnest this year by some of the world’s leading telecoms.
However, for most users there is still a year or more before it is locally widely. 5G is currently available in just a few dozen cities at this point.
In turn, mobile device manufacturers are designing new devices for the compatibility of 5G. Yet it is possible that these companies have overlooked a key factor – their customers’ health.
(Related reading: COVID-19 conspiracy theory-fueled attacks continue on 5G infrastructure)
5G 101
In simple terms, 5G is the 5th generation of mobile technology. 5G holds a lot of benefits that include faster internet browsing, streaming, download and upload speeds, and better connectivity as well. For our tech-reliant society, it seems as 5G is the natural evolution.
Other than the fast streaming of the latest movies and videos, 5G also facilitates increased capacity and reduced latency. Latency can be defined as the time taken by the network for device communication with other devices.
Changes that are brought by 5G technology play a very important role in many integrated applications, for instance, robotics, automated and self-driving cars, and various medical devices.
The 5G technology will be based on the use of bandwidths with higher frequency. In the network performance, the improvement is at least ten folds. The peak speed of 4G is approximately 50 Mbps. But it is anticipated that 5G will deliver peak speeds ranging from 10 Gbps to 20 Gbps. Network latency will be improved to 1ms from 30ms, which is considered ideal for streaming games, online videos, movies, the Internet of Things (IoT).
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In order to cover all the railways and major roads of urban areas with this uninterrupted wireless communication of the 5th generation, we have to create a very heavy network of antennas and transmitters. In other words, the number of base stations of higher frequency and other devices will increase considerably, which gives rise to the question that whether 5G technology has a negative impact on human health and its surrounding due to bandwidths of higher frequencies and numerous other connections. To better understand the effects of 5G on human health, let us have a detailed look at 5G technology and millimeter-wave on which it is based.
Documented effects
One of the key technologies to 5G technology is the use of millimeter waves. In the case of 4G technology, radio waves are used to broadcast the data. However, the radio wave spectrum is already jam-packed with signals. That is why there is a need for a whole new spectrum for 5G technology — that of millimeter waves — which allow more traffic. As an analogy, 5G is a new highway, because the old 4G highway has too much traffic to support the increased data needs.
As the name implies, millimeter waves typically have wavelengths of only 1 mm to 10 mm in length - much shorter than that of radio waves. Because of their shorter wavelength, they have a higher frequency and can transmit more energy.
In his 2019 presentation, Dr. David O. Carpenter, director for the University at Albany Institute for Institute for Health and the Environment, cites examples of Italian and Korean children who live near radio towers as having elevated risks of leukemia. Carpenter also cites multiple studies that show even though the wavelengths belong to the non-ionizing part of the spectrum, accumulative use of cell phones is correlated with ipsilateral glioma, a brain cancer. Since it can take decades for these cancers to appear, and cellular technology has only been prevalent for roughly 20 years, it is difficult to directly prove that exposure rates lead to cancer risks.
There are additional factors to consider. Research has also shown that children are more prone to absorb micro radiations are their brain tissues are more absorbent, their brains are relatively smaller than adults and their skulls are thinner. Ambient RF has exponential increased over the last 15 years, and today’s children might be of particular risk for potential health effects at an age earlier than their parents.
Carpenter also cites cases of electro-hypersensitivity (EHS) – instances where individuals complain of symptoms such as headaches, tinnitus, fatigue, confusion and general illness in the presence of electromagnetic waves. Carpenter acknowledges that little data exists to support EHS diagnoses and many cases may be psychological, but in one study 25% of individuals who complained of such symptoms were able to tell if they were exposed electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs).
There is also a risk that human sweat glands can actually amplify certain wavelengths of 5G signals. It is widely thought that millimeter waves are stopped as the dermis and epidermis layers of skin. Research from Dr. Paul Ben-Ishai and others at Ariel University in Israel demonstrated that sweat ducts can act as a helical antenna and amplify waves on the skin surface. Individuals under physical or emotional stress and exposed to 5G waves could have higher risk.
(Related reading: Will 5G replace Wi-Fi?)
Finally, there is at least some evidence that high-energy signals can damage human reproduction. At least three studies in recent history have concluded that RF or EMF signals affect sperm viability, mobility or DNA integrity: Radiations and male fertility (2018); The influence of direct mobile phone radiation on sperm quality (2014); and a presentation by Kumiko Nakata, head of reproductive medicine research at the Yamashita Shonan Yume Research Centre in Japan, at the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction 2019.
Conclusion
This is by no means an exhaustive or definitive list of potential health consequences. And as 5G technology proliferates, and receives greater scientific scrutiny, some of these from above may get debunked – or new consequences might be added.
