Concerns about the potential harms of 5G technology are overblown, according to two large new reviews of research published recently by scientists in Australia. Both found no clear evidence that the type of radio frequency energy used by 5G mobile networks poses any danger to human health.
5G is the next generation of wireless communications. It allows for faster speeds and lower latency than LTE, and although we are already seeing it in action on 5G phones, it will be necessary years before the potential of 5G to transform industries like autonomous cars becomes a reality.
That belated promise hasn’t stopped some people warning that 5G will only accelerate the damage supposedly caused by our current use of wireless technology. The evidence of any health risk from our cell phones today is not particularly strongBut it’s still something scientists are keeping an eye on. In particular, there have been many studies in the laboratory and in animals trying to find out how different levels of radio frequency energy could affect the body, including the type of energy that 5G networks would emit.
The two new papers are the work of researchers from the Australian Agency for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (ARPANSA) and Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. Both were published this week in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology and they are announced as the first reviews to specifically focus on 5G.
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In addition to looking at animal and laboratory experiments, a review also looked at epidemiological studies of radar, which use the same type of RF (low-level energy fields above 6 gigahertz up to 300 GHz) that 5G is expected to depend on. . Their conclusions, based on a review of data from more than 100 studies, should be reassuring.
“In conclusion, a review of all studies did not provide substantiated evidence that low-level radio waves, such as those used by the 5G network, are dangerous to human health,” said Ken Karipidis, deputy director of assessment and advice at ARPANSA, in a statement published by the agency.
The second review, which focused on RF energy specifically in the millimeter wave (MMW) band, which will use 5G, also found no link between low levels of MMW exposure and health effects. According to the researchers, both findings are just one more piece of evidence that cell phones today and in the near future will continue to emit RF levels well below the safety thresholds set by the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). ) that have been adopted. World.
Some studies found plausible biological effects from this type of RF exposure. But more importantly, these studies were generally not replicated by others. similar experiments. Overall, most of the studies they reviewed were considered low quality, Karipidis and his team concluded.
All that said, these reviews won’t be the last word on the safety of 5G and cell phone radiation in general. And the researchers hope their work will help strengthen the ongoing research investigating it.
“We recommend that future experimental studies improve their design with particular attention to dosimetry and temperature control and that future epidemiological studies continue to monitor the long-term effects on the health of the population related to wireless telecommunications,” said Karipidis. .