Whenever a new technology comes into the market, there are a lot of speculations about its usefulness and potential dangers that come with it.
Recently in some cities of the UK, the mobile network has been switched to 5G and that has led to some interesting questions regarding the new technology and the alleged health risks that it poses.
Let’s see what these concerns are and whether the evidence is sufficient to prove its harmful nature or not.
What Is New About 5G?
Same as all the other previous technology under the umbrella of cellular, 5G network too, relies on the signals carries in the form of radio waves, transferred between your phone and an antenna.
We are all encircled by electromagnetic waves, from natural resources like sunlight to radio, television and an entire range of different kinds of technologies such as mobile phones, wireless gadgets, etc.
Unlike previous mobile networks, 5G uses ultra-high frequency waves. Because of that, these waves tend to travel small distances so the network needs a larger number of transmitters than the previous one in order to ensure the clear network. These high-frequency waves allow the devices to have access to high-speed internet.
Why Everyone Is Concerned?
The mobile phone companies use electromagnetic radiations like all the other wireless technologies. The saturation of these rays in the environment has led the public concern increased regarding health risks which also includes different types of cancer.
In 2014, WHO declared that,
However, later along the International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO classified all the radio frequency radiations (mobile signals are a part of these radio frequency radiations) as conceivably carcinogenic.
It has been put into this “conceivably carcinogenic” category because,
A lot of things out there are in the same category as the radio frequency such as pickled vegetables, processed meat, talcum powder, and alcoholic beverages. However alcoholic beverages and processed meat are in the higher category because the evidence supporting their toxicity is stronger than the radio frequency.
The Main Problem:
This was the background of 5G and the potential harm that has been detected by the World Health Organization. Let’s move on to the main concern which is the new 5G wireless infrastructure technology which will be implemented across the world. According to the Thesis writing services online, it will be 100 times faster than 4G and will bring a number of advantages with itself such as streaming of HDTV worldwide, quick browsing, high-quality video calls, etc.
However, with advantages comes disadvantages as well. Here are a few concerns which have been raised around the issue
- This is a first of its kind exposure of frequency radiations in terms of the magnitude to the humans.
- Although the scientists have explained that this new infrastructure will not be harmful to humans, still a lot of people are skeptical.
- WHO has already declared the frequency as possibly carcinogenic which further raises the concern?
- The major consensus among the skeptical public is to declare temporary discontinuation on this technology until its safety issues are resolved.
These are all the speculations made by the people so far, let’s dive into this issue a little more and investigate whether these radiations are as deadly as people made them out to be or it’s just a part of some elaborated conspiracy.
Are Radio Waves Ionizing?
The radio-frequency wave which is used for cellular networks falls under the category of non-ionizing radiation. This means that they lack sufficient power and energy to break the DNA apart and cause permanent damage. This statement has been published by a cancer researcher and physicist, David Robert Grimes.
According to researches the higher on the electromagnetic spectrum the radiation goes, the health risks will get higher from exposure. For example, sunlight falls into the category of harmful and that’s why it has been established that it can lead to skin cancer.
Even though people are concerned over the fact that exposure to the radiation emitted by the network of 5G, it is a fact to be noted that we are exposed to much harmful radiation than 5G in the form of sunlight on daily basis. Radio-frequency is far less potential of causing harm than the standard sunlight.
Based on the multiple theories and researches done by the people in the industry, there is no valid reason to remain skeptical of 5G technology and similar radiation emitted from wireless devices.
What Researches Say:
But, for the sake of curiosity about the potential damage that it can inflict on humans, let’s take a look at those people who gets the highest level of exposure, i.e. the construction and electrical worker who install these towers for wireless communication. According to the dissertation writing services, the exposure that these workers endured is around five times more than what the general public is exposed to and according to the research, there has been no evidence found of increased illness or cancer of any type or any other health issues.
Takeaways:
In short, the benefits that will be bought in society by 5G are revolutionary in nature. The fast speed internet is just one aspect of what 5G will brings us. In addition to high-speed browsing, 5G will provide an infrastructure that will play an integral role in future technology. The internet is just the start of a revolutionary change in the world of modern technology.
Author’s Bio: Dr. Adrish is a Ph.D. in actuarial sciences from Glasgow University. He has been working as an Academic consultant since 2005 and has extensive knowledge in multiple fields.
