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5G and beyond

    • 22 JAN 21

    UK epidemiologist Prof John Frank questions the safety of the 5G rollout.

    Published in The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

    Electromagnetic fields, 5G and health: what about the precautionary principle

    Professor John Frank
    Abstract

    New fifth generation (5G) telecommunications systems, now being rolled out globally, have become the subject of a fierce controversy. Some health protection agencies and their scientific advisory committees have concluded that there is no conclusive scientific evidence of harm. Several recent reviews by independent scientists, however, suggest that there is significant uncertainty on this question, with rapidly emerging evidence of potentially harmful biological effects from radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposures, at the levels 5G roll-out will entail. This essay identifies four relevant sources of scientific uncertainty and concern:…SNIP

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    • 21 JAN 21

    Call for Temporary Moratorium on 5G Deployment

    From the blog of Dariusz Leszczynski

    Excerpt:

    The currently ongoing deployment of the fifth generation of the wireless communication technology (5G) is being met with a great enthusiasm by the telecommunication industry, national governments and portion of the general public. However, there is also some resistance from the part of the population, caused by the uncertainty whether radiation emitted by the 5G networks and devices will have any effects on human health and environmental impact on fauna and flora….SNIP

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    • 18 DEC 20

    Why The Race To 5G Is A Mirage by Devra Davis

    Excerpt:
    * Former national finance minister, Lou Jiwei warned last month that existing 5G technology in China is immature and quite expensive.
    * The next stimulus package should contain billions of dollars to produce, distribute, install, build out, maintain and monitor municipal fiber-optic broadband cable around the nation.
    * Until and unless a much safer, more cost-effective and less-energy intensive system can be produced, we should revise plans for continued expansion of the 5G albatross.

    You may have heard that we are locked in a technology battle with China over commercializing 5G. That conflict turns out to be more hype than happening, designed to whet American appetites for competition and pave the way for more subsidies to the global multi-trillion dollar telecom industry.

    Former national finance minister, Lou Jiwei warned last month that existing 5G technology in China is immature and quite expensive. Increased electricity costs to fuel 5G in 2019, he recently warned look to be 10 times the profit of China Telecom — one of three state telecom companies of China…SNIP

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    • 17 DEC 20

    From Dariusz Leszczynski: Guest blog from Steve Weller

    Excerpt: False claims of safety and reckless abandonment of the precautionary principle

    by Steve Weller, ORSAA, Australia

    Reading the latest blogs on BRHP, and witnessing first hand the rhetoric coming from many government and industry representatives about the safety of 5G, I feel compelled as a custodian of the ORSAA RF research database to provide comment.

    Misinformation, disinformation and fake news appear to be the sign of the times and claims of safety in relation to 5G (and I would also include 2G, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE etc.) are not supported by any robust scientific evidence..SNIP..I feel it is most important that people realise that it is not necessarily the RF carrier wave that causes all the biological effects noted in RF-EMR research but it is often the complex modulation/pulsing of the carrier wave and the varying intensities these signals operate at that appears to make it more bioactive..SNIP

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    • 26 NOV 20

    Secretiveness of dealings on RF and health (Dariusz Leszczynski)

    EXCERPT: In a very interesting news post, Louis Slesin of the Microwave News, reminded that the secretive dealings are part of the RF-arena [emphasis added DL]: “…Government and industry representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the U.S. participated, as did an assortment of academics. The public was not invited…” …and, of course, ICES, ICNIRP and EMF Project were there as well. It seems typical for the industry, regulators, governments, ICES, ICNIRP and EMF Project to mingle, in the absence of general public and later, to provide very scarce information, if any at all. Those responsible for developing safety guidelines and for government/academia funded research, seem to prefer to do things in secrecy, behind the scenes, not to be “bothered” by a plethora of activists. They prefer to present their work when it is fully ready and “deal is done“….SNIP

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    • 24 NOV 20

    Public Shut Out of Global RF Health Briefing (Microwave News)

    Notice from Microwave News: Updates from NTP, Japan, Korea & WHOAn international briefing on RF health research, known as GLORE 2020, was held online, November 9-12, featuring updates on the second phase of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) project and the Japanese-Korean partial repeat. The WHO presented a status report on ten ongoing systematic reviews of RF health effects. Government and industry representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the U.S. participated, as did an assortment of academics. The public and the press were not invited. Everything about GLORE 2020 is being kept secret. Microwave News has the story. We have the presentations of the NTP and WHO….SNIP

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    • 14 NOV 20

    Press Release: Medical and Scientific Experts and Practitioners on Health Effects of Non-Ionising Radiation (NIR)

    Excerpt: Medical experts and practitioners from around the world have united once again to make clear their concerns regarding the health effects of escalating non-ionising radiation(NIR) exposures. NIR is electromagnetic energy ranging from Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) waves right the way up to Ultraviolet (UV). In particular, they are concerned about radiofrequency (RF) emissions from mobile phone networks, Wi-Fi, and the rollout of 5G. Whilst such emissions were historically presumed to be biologically inert, and are still purported to be safe by many to this day, there is now highly credible evidence to the contrary. The main risks associated with exposure to such (wireless) non-ionising radiation in the peer-reviewed scientific literature include: increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damage, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans…SNIP

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    • 12 NOV 20

    Dutch Avisory Panel Calls for Caution on 5G

    Published in Microwave News:
    November 11, 2020
    An advisory panel to the Health Council of the Netherlands is recommending a “cautious approach” to 5G radiation exposures.The committee is also advising that the 26 GHz frequency band (millimeter waves) not be used “for as long as the potential health risks have not been investigated.” The new advisory report, 5G and Health, was originally released in September with an executive summary in English. Now a full 131-page translation is available (it features 807 references). There is also a 33-page overview. The nine-member panel, all from Holland, was chaired by Professor Hans Kromhout, an epidemiologist at the University of Utrecht’s Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences. One of the two scientific secretaries is the Health Council’s Eric van Rongen, the current vice chair of ICNIRP and its chairman from 2016 until earlier this year. While the committee endorses the recently revised ICNIRP guidelines, it notes that, “[I]t cannot be excluded that exposure under the latest ICNIRP standards also has the potential to affect health.” Here is the full text of the committee’s four recommendations to the Dutch Parliament:…SNIP

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    • 05 NOV 20

    5G satellites, NASA says “that’s a disaster waiting to happen”

    For the first time, NASA is commenting on a private company’s application to launch a mega-constellation of satellites. And its message is clear: It could be disastrous.

    AST & Science (AST) wants to launch 240 large satellites that would beam down 4G service and, if all goes to plan, eventually do the same with a 5G network, Ars Technica reports. Because the satellites will be so massive, NASA said in a statement that they would cause thousands of potential collisions every year — though AST says it’s committed to working with NASA to solve the issue.

    Other mega-constellations like Starlink also pose collision risks, but it’s the massive size of these telecom satellites and AST’s inexperience in building anything that large that has NASA particularly concerned, Ars reports…SNIP

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    • 02 OCT 20

    The Health Council of the Netherlands advisory committee on 5G and health

    The Health Council of the Netherlands has long been a naysayer in regards to the potential biological impacts of telecommunications frequency exposures so it is surprising, and concerning, that they now express uncertainties in relation to 5G millimetre wave exposures.  A far cry from Australia’s ARPANSA which spends its time giving a complete ‘bill of health’ to 5G with no uncertainties. However, to be fair to ARPANSA’s little band of scientists, they know all too well that if anyone publicaly questions the party line dogma they risk ending up having to drive a Uber cab in order to pay their bills. NOTE that the Health Council of the Netherlands has “hedged their bet” by recommending that latest ICNIRP guidelines be followed in the Netherlands. However, they did stick in a caveat in order to cover themselves, if and when, the 5G shit hits the fan……For anyone with a 26GHz 5G antenna stuck up outside their home all this is not very reassuring…..

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    • 28 SEP 20

    Microwave News: 5G Waveforms in Dispute

    From Louis Slesin, Editor of Microwave News: There’s been a lot of talk about the frequencies used in 5G wireless signals. But very little about what the waveforms of this radiation look like. Or, to put it another way: How fast are 5G pulses? And how powerful are they? Behind the scenes, there’s been a contentious dispute with some of the best known researchers in the field on opposing sides. Just last week, the wireless industry was lobbying the U.S. FCC to shelve some proposed rules to tighten the existing limits for these short bursts of radiation…SNIP.

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    • 26 SEP 20

    Leszczynski: EHS or not EHS: What about are studies by Belpomme and his team?

    EHS or not EHS: What about are studies by Belpomme and his team? Excerpt: Since some readers are wondering… before writing this blog I contacted French team… no response…Deployment of the 5G is unlike earlier generations of wireless technology. The base stations for the 5G will be very densely located, in close proximity to people dwellings and working places. Furthermore, once 5G will employ millimeter-waves there will be a need to deploy mini-base stations inside apartments and places of work because the millimeter-waves do not penetrate walls of buildings. The increased density of base stations and the future location of these inside buildings causes anxiety among the electro-hyper-sensitive persons (EHS). There are two approaches to study EHS, by either (i) the psychological provocation studies or by (ii) biochemical studies looking for physiological markers for diagnosis of EHS.EHS research is dominated by psychology provocation studies and I have elaborated on it earlier.Biochemical studies looking for physiological markers of EHS are performed by a single team in France. It appears that EHS sufferers and anti-EMF activists consider these French studies as valid evidence that can be used for the clinical diagnosis of EHS French researchers, using biochemical approach, claim finding of several markers of EHS associated with EMF exposures. Unfortunately, French studies have major design problems that invalidate their final conclusions…SNIP

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    • 07 SEP 20

    5G base stations use up to three-and-a-half times more energy than 4G infrastructure

    Excerpt

    When people talk about 5G, they’re often talking about the enormous boost in speed you’ll get from using the new mobile network technology. What many people don’t realise, though, is that it’s also expending a lot more energy for Chinese telecom companies. At the beginning of August, a China Unicom branch announced that it would put some of its ZTE 5G base stations to sleep between 9pm and 9am to reduce electricity costs in the city of Luoyang. A recent white paper from telecom equipment maker Huawei illustrates the problem: 5G base stations use up to three-and-a-half times more energy than 4G infrastructure. Part of the problem is that this new generation of mobile connectivity requires more densely placed base stations. So as China has been rapidly rolling out new 5G base stations, reaching 410,000 nationwide in June, some cities are putting the ones they have to sleep to save energy because there aren’t enough users yet….SNIP

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    • 06 SEP 20

    Leszczynski on Significant discrepancy of opinions on 5G and health between ICNIRP and the Health Council of the Netherlands

    On September 2, 2020, the Health Council of the Netherlands has published opinion on 5G and health. The opinion is being translated to English and will be available in this language in October 2020. Right now, only the executive summary of the opinion is available in English. This opinion of the Netherlands’ Health Council is significant for its membership overlap with ICNIRP: It is first opinion on 5G and health published after the ICNIRP published its updated safety guidelines for EMF exposures. The chair of the ICNIRP during the preparation of the 2020 guidelines was Eric van Rongen who is also listed as one of the two secretaries of the Netherlands’ committee on EMF (highlighted red)Another member of ICNIRP, Anke Huss, is also member of the Netherlands’ committee on EMF (highlighted red) As an invited expert, the Netherlands’ committee on EMF invited Zenon Sienkiewicz who was member of ICNIRP during the preparation of the ICNIRP 2020 guidelines (highlighted red) Of interest is that during the preparation of the opinion the committee had continuously observer from the The Dutch ‘Agentschap Telecom’ that is part of the Ministry of Economical Affairs and Climate. (highlighted blue)This is the Composition of the Electromagnetic Fields Committee of the Netherlands’ Health Council for the advice 5G and health:…SNIP

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    • 31 AUG 20

    Astronomers Slam SpaceX’s Growing Starlink Satellite Constellation (And beware the Kessler Syndrome)

    Excerpt

    From Futurism According to a new report by the Satellite Constellations 1 (Satcon1) workshop, attended by more than 250 astronomers in late July, SpaceX’s Starlink internet-beaming satellite constellation could have an “extreme” impact on astronomy and scientific progress. The workshop used computer simulations to examine how satellite constellations such as Starlink, once fully deployed, could affect the operations of Earth-based observatories. “In the last year, the sky has changed, with growing numbers of satellite trails contaminating astronomical images,” reads the report.Ruining the Night SkyStarlink officially has the permission of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch more than 30,000 small satellites, designed to bring broadband internet to the entire globe. But, as the last couple of months have shown, the highly reflective satellites are already ruining wide-field observations of the night sky. Some of them turned out to be so bright, they could be easily seen with the naked eye. And that could be bad news for astronomers. Scientific discoveries such as the identification of a near-Earth object or a super-Earth exoplanet candidate could be missed thanks to noise created by the satellites’ trails. “If the 100,000 or more [low-Earth satellites] proposed by many companies and many governments are deployed, no combination of mitigations can fully avoid the impacts of the satellite trails on the science programs of current and planned ground-based optical-NIR astronomy facilities,” concludes the report…SNIP (Also see the Kessler Syndrome link)

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    • 27 AUG 20

    5G unease and concerns over human rights issues mar China’s charm offensive through Europe

    Published: 6:00am, 27 Aug, 2020 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is lobbying his European counterparts for support amid a geopolitical spat with the United States  but he has been met with concerns over human rights and 5G technology security. Wang arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday after beginning his first European tour of the pandemic era in Italy on Tuesday, when he met Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio. His week-long trip will continue with stops in Norway, France and Germany. On his visit to Italy, Wang warned the country to stay away from the “new cold war” that he said the US was trying to promote, and to instead to focus on economic cooperation with China. Wang also applauded Italy for showing “understanding and support” towards Beijing’s “core interests and major issues”. While Di Maio said Italy and China needed to forge closer ties, he also gave Wang a stern warning that China ought to respect Hong Kong citizens’ freedom of speech – signalling the European Union’s continued disapproval of the national security law Beijing imposed on the city. Wang’s visit follows criticism of Beijing in Europe over its handling of the coronavirus as well as China’s hardline policy in Hong Kong. More European countries are also rejecting Chinese 5G technology. Beijing has rejected claims that it covered up the pandemic after the first outbreak was recorded in China and denied security concerns related to its technology development. It has also deemed international concerns about the erosion of autonomy in Hong Kong an intervention in its internal affairs….SNIP

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    • 24 AUG 20

    Review of physiological effects of mm-waves on skin (Leszczynski)

    Notice from Dariusz Leszczynski: Here is the abstract of the paper, published in Reviews on Environmental Health. It is, unfortunately, not an open access.
    “Physiological effects if millimeter-waves on skin and skin cells: an overview of the to-date published studies” Abstract follows…SNIP

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    • 14 AUG 20

    Four Corners report on 5G breaches ABC’s Code of Practice

    The Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) appears to have sunk to a new low in journalistic standards in its recent report on 5G.The 45-minute ABC Four Corners episode, titled ‘The Truth about 5G’, which was aired on 3 August 2020, claimed to be investigating ‘the rise of the anti-5G movement and the spread of wild conspiracy theories tying the COVID-19 pandemic to the 5G rollout’. Oddly, despite the purported object of its investigation, the Four Corners report didn’t reveal a single Australian anti-5G activist blaming the COVID-19 pandemic on 5G.  SSMA asks if the focus on ‘wild conspiracy theories’ is another media beat-up big on sensationalism – and short on facts? …SNIP

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    • 07 AUG 20

    New paper: Adverse health effects of 5G mobile networking technology under real-life conditions

    AbstractThis article identifies adverse effects of non-ionizing non-visible radiation (hereafter called wireless radiation) reported in the premier biomedical literature. It emphasizes that most of the laboratory experiments conducted to date are not designed to identify the more severe adverse effects reflective of the real-life operating environment in which wireless radiation systems operate. Many experiments do not include pulsing and modulation of the carrier signal. The vast majority do not account for synergistic adverse effects of other toxic stimuli (such as chemical and biological) acting in concert with the wireless radiation. This article also presents evidence that the nascent 5G mobile networking technology will affect not only the skin and eyes, as commonly believed, but will have adverse systemic effects as well…SNIP

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    • 06 AUG 20

    New paper on 5G Wireless Deployment and Health Risks

    INTRODUCTION TO THE ISSUEThere is an urgent need for clinicians and medical scientists in the Australia-New Zealand region to engage in an objective discussion around the potential health impacts of the fifth generation (5G) wireless technology currently being deployed. The statements of assurance by the industry and government parties that dominate the media in our region are at odds with the warnings of hundreds of scientists actively engaged in research on biological/health effects of anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation/fields (EMR/EMF).There have been worldwide public protests as well as appeals by professionals and the general public that have compelled many cities in Europe to declare moratoria on 5G deployment and to begin investigations. In contrast, there is no medically-oriented professional discussion on this public health topic in Australia and New Zealand, where 5G deployment is being expedited. 5G is untested for safety on humans and other species and the limited existing evidence raises major concerns that need to be addressed. The vast body of research literature on biological/health effects of ‘wireless radiation’ (radiofrequency EMR) indicates a range of health-related issues associated with different types of wireless technologies (1G-4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, Radar, radio/TV transmission, scanning and surveillance systems). These are used in a wide range of personal devices in common use (mobile/ cordless phones, computers, baby monitors, games consoles etc) without users being aware of the health risks. Furthermore, serious safety concerns arise from the extra complexity of 5G as follows:…SNIP

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