Concerns about the potential harms of 5G technology have been allayed, according to two major new studies of research recently published by scientists in Australia. Both found no clear evidence that the type of radiofrequency energy that 5G mobile networks present poses any risk to human health.
5G is the next generation of wireless communication. It enables faster speeds and lower latency than LTE, and while we already see that in action on 5G phones, it accepts year before the potential of 5G to transform businesses like autonomous cars.
That promise of delay did not stop some people warning 5G will only accelerate the damage that is said to be used by wireless technology. There is no evidence for any health risks from our cell phones today in particular strong, but it is still something that scientists are keeping an eye on. In particular, many laboratory and animal studies have been conducted in an attempt to determine how different levels of radiofrequency energy may affect the body, including the type of energy that would be distributed by 5G networks.
The two new papers are the work of researchers from the Australian Institute of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (ARPANSA) and Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. Both there were published this week in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology and are cited as the first reviews to focus on 5G in particular.
G / O Media may receive a commission
In addition to looking at animal and laboratory tests, one review also analyzed epidemiological studies on radar, which use the same type of RF (low-energy fields above 6 gigahertz to as high as 300 GHz) which is expected to be 5G dependent. Their conclusions, based on a review of data from more than 100 studies, should be encouraging.
“In conclusion, a review of all studies did not provide conclusive evidence that low-level radio waves, such as those used by the 5G network, pose a risk to human health,” said Ken Karipidis, deputy director of assessment and advice at ARPANSA, in a recitation released by the group.
The second review, which focused on RF energy specifically in the millimeter wave band (MMW), which uses 5G, found no association between low levels of MMW exposure and health effects. According to the researchers, the two conclusions are just more evidence that cell phones today and soon will continue to emit levels of RF well below the safety thresholds that established the International Commission for the Protection of Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP) which has been adopted worldwide.
Some studies have found plausible biological effects from this type of RF exposure. Importantly, these studies were not usually repeated by others, similar experiments. Overall, most of the studies they reviewed were rated as low quality, Karipidis and his team concluded.
All that said, these reviews are not the last word on a 5G safety study and cell phone radiation in general. And the researchers hope their work will help strengthen the ongoing inward-looking research.
“We recommend that future experimental studies improve their design with a particular focus on dosimetry and temperature control and that future epidemiological studies monitor long-term health effects in the future. crowds connected to wireless telecommunications, ”said Karipidis.