5G effects on human health

By Prof Winston Tumps Ireeta

The fifth generation of telecommunications technologies, 5G, is fundamental to achieving a gigabit society. The coverage of areas with uninterrupted 5G wireless communication can only be achieved by having a very dense network of antennas and transmitters. This means that the number of higher frequency base stations and other devices will increase significantly.

The question is whether there is a negative impact on human health and the environment from higher frequencies and the billions of additional connections, which, according to research, will mean constant exposure for the whole population that includes children.

Many researchers generally consider such radio waves not to constitute a threat to the population, however, to date no research has addressed the constant exposure that 5G would introduce. Therefore, more research on the potential negative biological effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and 5G is necessary especially on the incidence of some serious human diseases. Another point of consideration is the need to bring together researchers from different disciplines, in particular medicine and physics or engineering, to conduct further research into the effects of 5G.

The deployment of millimetre waves (MMW) and higher frequencies (HF) than previous technologies, 5G needs a much more extensive network of antennas and other transmitting devices. Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are invisible areas of energy which is measured in hertz (Hz). Longer wavelengths/lower frequency is less powerful in terms of energy, while shorter wavelengths/higher frequencies are more powerful.

Depending on the frequency, there are two categories of EMF: ionising and non-ionising radiation Ionising radiation (mid to high-frequency) includes ultraviolet rays, x-rays and gamma rays. The energy from ionising radiation can damage human cells and cause cancer. Non-ionising radiation has lower frequencies and bigger wavelengths. Most experts are of the view that non-ionising radiation produces only thermal effects, or tissue heating, and that at high exposure levels, temperature-sensitive biological structures, including humans, and processes can become damaged.

5G technology which falls in the Microwave (MW) and millimetre wavelength (MMW) radiation range is non-ionising. Millimetre-wave ranges from around 10 to 1 millimetre. This is a very effective spectrum with large bandwidth, but it is also very sensitive to external variables and can be subject to interference from walls, trees or even rain.

For the first time, 5G uses millimetre waves in addition to the microwaves that have been used to date in 2G, 3G and 4G technology. Due to the limited coverage range, to implement 5G, cell antennas will have to be installed very close to one another, which will result in constant exposure of the population to millimetre wave radiation.

The use of 5G will also require new technologies to be employed, such as active antennas capable of beam-forming, massive inputs and outputs. At higher frequencies and shortened coverage ranges, the distance between base stations will be shortened and this will lead to having them more closely packed into an area so as to have complete coverage and avoid 'not-spots'.

With this, it leads to mean possible distance ranges of 20 to 150 metres with smaller coverage areas per small cell. A cell radius of 20 metres would mean about 800 base stations per square kilometre (or 'small-area wireless access points' (SAWAPs). This is in contrast with 3G and 4G technologies, which use large or 'macro' cells, offering ranges of 2 to 15 kilometres or more, and therefore covering a larger area but allowing fewer simultaneous users since they have fewer individual channels.

Additionally, 5G will employ higher frequencies than the previous 'Generation' networks and greater bandwidth which will enable users to transfer wireless data faster.

Research on EMF exposure effects and 5G, in particular, is growing rapidly. Some research papers support possible health risks, while others do not. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recently prioritised EMF radiation for review in the next five years (2020-2024).

A section of the scientific community (mainly doctors and researchers in medical sciences) argues that there are negative impacts from EMF exposure and that these will increase with the implementation of 5G. A 5G appeal was presented to the United Nations in 2015, and to the European Union from 2017, with an increasing number of scientists signing (268 scientists and medical doctors as of 18^th December 2019).

The signatories state that with the increasingly extensive use of wireless technology, especially when 5G is deployed, nobody could avoid exposure to constant EMF radiation because of the huge number of 5G transmitters with an estimated 10 to 20 billion connections (to self-driving cars, buses, surveillance cameras, domestic appliances, etc.). In addition, the appeal states that a large number of scientific publications illustrate EMF exposure effects such as an elevated risk of cancer, genetic damage, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, etc. The appeal points out not only harm to humans, but also to the environment.

The appeal recommends a temporary prohibition on the deployment of 5G for telecommunications until potential hazards for human health and the environment have been fully investigated by scientists independent of industry. They demand that a new assessment is carried out by an independent task force.

In this regard, some scientists consider it necessary to establish new exposure limits that take account of the new characteristics of exposure. Such limits should be based on the biological effects of EMF radiation, rather than on the energy-based specific absorption rate.

Non-ionising radiation, which includes radiation from mobile phones and 5G, is perceived as harmless in general, due to its lack of potency.

However, some of the above-mentioned scientists point out that, in the particular case of 5G, the issue is not the potency, but the pulse, the frequency to which the whole population will be exposed due to the dense network of antennas and the estimated billions of simultaneous connections. As 5G employs a very high level of pulsations, the idea behind 5G is to use higher frequencies, which allows such high levels of pulsation, in order to carry very large amounts of information per second.

Research has shown that pulsed EMF are in most cases more biologically active and therefore more dangerous than non-pulsed EMF. Every single wireless communication device communicates at least partially via pulsations, and the smarter the device, the more pulsations.

Therefore, even though 5G can be weak in terms of power, its constant abnormal pulse radiation can have an effect on the population as well as the environment. Along with the mode and duration of exposures, characteristics of the 5G signal such as pulsing seem to increase the biological and health impacts of exposure, including DNA damage, which is considered to be a cause of cancer. DNA damage is also linked to reproductive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.

The writer is the head of Physics Department, Makerere University Kampala