Is 5G Making You Sick? Here’s What Experts Say
Developed in 2019, 5G is associated with the latest version of wireless communications being made available for broad public use, explains Christopher Collins, Ph.D., a professor of radiology at New York University.
When you use your phone to communicate with other devices, cellular data is sent through radio frequencies (RFs). Calls and other functions are connected through a series of base stations called “cells” that cover certain geographic regions, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The radiofrequency 5G uses is higher than the previous iterations of wireless communication, including 4G and 3G, says Henk De Feyter, Ph.D., an assistant professor of radiology and biomedical imaging at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. That’s what sets it apart. But otherwise, he says the technology works the same way, by producing electromagnetic waves for information to be sent and received.
5G EMF Waves and Radiation
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible areas of energy caused by electromagnetic radiation being emitted. There are ionizing and nonionizing EMFs. The latter describes low-level radiation, or emission of energy through space and objects. Sources that transmit these waves include phones, computers, Bluetooth devices, power lines and even microwaves. Meanwhile, ionizing EMFs have much higher radiation, with sources including sunlight and x-rays.
The difference between the two matters greatly in terms of health and safety, notes Collins. “In human tissues, ionizing radiation at high enough doses is associated with an increase in cancer, most often skin cancer from the ultraviolet energy in sunlight.”
5G operates on two frequencies, the highest of which ranges from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz notes Frontiers in Public Health. “It is at those frequencies that the big gains in speed of data transfer are really expected,” says Collins. But he adds that the frequency in which electromagnetic radiation starts to ionize and becomes dangerous is about 3 million GHz, nowhere close to 5G.
While ionizing radiation at high doses may be linked to cancer, both experts say nonionizing radiation has currently not been proven to do the same. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration’s team of medical doctors, scientists and researchers who study radiofrequency reports “the current limit on radiofrequency energy set by the [FCC] remains acceptable for protecting public health.” And research published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology found “no confirmed evidence that low-level RF fields above 6GHz such as those used by the 5G network are hazardous to human health.”
Still, you may have heard electromagnetic fields can cause tissue heating, where the skin absorbs electromagnetic energy and elevates body temperature. That much is true. “Electromagnetic radiation in the communications bands is absorbed by tissues in the form of heat,” Collins says, but emphasizes that this occurs at such a low level it may not impact health.
“The electromagnetic radiation is limited to levels that could not cause more than a small fraction of one degree Celsius increase in tissues,” he explains. To put it in perspective, “when you walk outside on a sunny day, you can feel your skin heat up a few degrees very rapidly, and over the course of one day your core body temperature can vary by about one degree Celsius. Also, when you feel your cell phone getting warm, it is because of the electronics in the phone getting hot, not from the wireless radiation to your skin.”
Health Concerns Over 5G
That said, some experts voice concerns. In 2017, doctors and scientists launched a petition to stop the 5G rollout in the EU, citing cancer risks. One worry is that since 5G is so new, there hasn’t been time to properly test whether it’s safe. There’s also a lack of scientific analyses on the potential impacts of densely concentrated areas of 5G in populated cities or on chronic 5G exposure, some experts say.
5G’s potential impact on more people also means more diversity, and certain genes play a role in radiation sensitivity, experts say. One 2021 study, for example, notes genetic effects of EMF depend on factors such as frequency, intensity, cell type and exposure duration, and the types of gene expression affected “are consistent with findings that EMF causes genetic damages.”
Additionally, many of the government-approved rules on RF were established in the late 1990s and based on limited research. Scientists now don’t think the issue is so clear, and some aren’t staying quiet. To date, more than 3,500 physicians across preventive and environmental medicine, toxicology and other specialties have united against 5G, citing main associated risks of nonionizing radiation—according to peer-reviewed scientific literature—including cancer, cellular stress, genetic damage, reproductive changes and deficits and neurological disorders.
“Action must be taken now to reduce human exposure to nonionizing radiation to as low as can be achievable, including a moratorium on the introduction of 5G,” says Anthony B. Miller, M.D., professor emeritus at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health of the University of Toronto, in a 2020 statement from the Physicians Health Initiative for Radiation and Environment and the British Society for Ecological Medicine.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) also notes that in the 1990s, some research found a possible link between EMF field strength and an increased risk of childhood leukemia, but the association was weak. Now, though, the organization notes, “in the age of cellular telephones, wireless routers, and the Internet of things, all of which use EMF, concerns persist about possible connections between EMF and adverse health effects. NIEHS acknowledges additional research is needed and recommends continued education on practical ways to reduce exposures to EMFs.”
And as more is learned about 5G, more peer-reviewed studies and data published in various medical journals point to the possible negative effects it may pose to health.
5G Fact vs. Fiction
The World Health Organization (WHO) and FDA declare 5G safe. And, according to Collins, “all wireless communications use nonionizing electromagnetic radiation to transmit energy and information through space without the need for wires.” For 5G, he says, “the electromagnetic waves have a higher frequency, which allows it to carry more information. It also has a smaller wavelength and does not penetrate the body as far as lower-frequency energy.”
Not all experts agree with those conclusions. Whether or not 5G could negatively impact your brain is something researchers are still studying, and will likely monitor for some time.
These myths around other 5G controversies, meanwhile, have already been debunked:
Belief: 5G Causes COVID-19
Verdict: Fiction
Claims state 5G weakens the immune system, making it easier to contract COVID-19, or that it directly causes the virus. Simply put, research emphasizes that the belief that 5G causes or can spread COVID-19 isn’t true.
Belief: 5G Is Dangerous for Airplanes
Verdict: Fact
Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned that 5G interference could affect altitude readings on some jets, including interfering with altimeters, which measure how far above the ground a plane is flying. In 2020, the nonprofit Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics published research detailing how this interference could, in worst-case scenarios, lead to dangerous malfunctions. The FAA has since established buffer zones around many airports to limit 5G activity.
Belief: 5G Creates a Cybersecurity Risk
Verdict: It’s complicated
The introduction of 5G has created some cybersecurity risks, notes the U.S. Department of Homeland and Security. One fear is malicious software and hardware being introduced into the 5G supply chain. Plus, 5G uses more information than previous technologies, which leaves more room for error. Because of these concerns, the department has developed a set of strategic standards designed to mitigate risk.
While concerns regarding hackers using 5G to steal data or too many people texting in-flight are valid, when it comes to potential effects on your health, the evidence goes both ways.
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