MD Hussain Haider  ([email protected])

 

Currently about 9 billion devices, mostly cell phones, are connected to cellular networks worldwide (1). Growth in personal cellular connections is slowing, but overall growth of connected devices is set to explode: by 2025 industry analysts estimate 25 billion devices will be connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) and by 2030 Cisco predicts 500 billion (2). Beyond just cell phones and computers these will include cars, appliances and many household items. To provide the requisite bandwidth for this flood of “smart” objects, 5th generation (5G) cellular networks are now being rolled out in urban areas worldwide and up to 40,000 5G satellites are in the works to provide service blanketing the globe.

 

The radio frequency (RF) band of the electromagnetic spectrum, refers to all electromagnetic waves oscillating at frequencies from 20 kilohertz (KHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Most RF technologies like radio, television, wifi and existing cellular networks utilize the lower end of this spectrum, below 6 GHz. Initially, most ground-based 5G networks will also occupy the sub 6GHz spectrum, utilizing existing 4G hardware (and later, faster 5G hardware), but with more efficient software, allowing up to 35% greater speed and more device connections than 4G (29). However, these lower frequencies have inherently limited bandwidth, so, especially in high demand areas, ground-based 5G will eventually also utilize the previously neglected upper-end of the RF spectrum, transmitting via extremely high frequencies (EHF) ranging from 30GHz to 300GHz, AKA millimeter waves (mmW), so called due to wavelengths ranging from 10mm down to 1mm in size. In order to immediately avail extra bandwidth and low latency, the planned 20,000 – 40,000 strong fleet of space-based 5G satellites will operate in the mmW spectrum from the get go (23).

 

Ground based mmW technology requires wireless base stations installed every 200 or so meters. Due to their greater power requirements, mmW 5G base stations are also allowed to radiate tens to hundreds of times more energy than current cell towers and each will be equipped with hundreds to thousands of antennas in “phased-arrays” tracking and transmitting with laser-like focus to all 5G-capable objects within their range, each of which will utilize multiple antennas to transmit back, creating a web of intense radiation impossible for bystanders to avoid (4).

 

The main player currently planning space-based mmW service is Space X, which has started launching it’s 12,000 – 30,000 satellites, that should begin operation in the next couple years, after the first few hundred are in orbit. Full deployment will likely take about a decade. These satellites will transmit information to each other and to small ground base stations that can be installed in rural areas inside homes and on top of vehicles. Existing satellite phone operators will likely upgrade to similar technology and other providers may also offer direct satellite service to cell phones, however these mmW signals would be point to point, not bathing large areas in radiation (31-33). Also given the distance of the satellites, the power of the signal reaching the ground will be low. The two greatest theoretical risks of launching so many satellites and then relaunching at intervals as older ones go out of commission are altering the earths ELF electrical activity and greatly speeding up global warming, due to the formation of black carbon when burning kerosene-based rocket fuel in the upper atmosphere (30, 31).

 

 

Space X Starlink Satellites prior to deployment

 

Surprisingly, or perhaps predictably (plausible deniability) there is no published research into the health effects of 5G mmW cellular technology as it will be implemented in the real world. However, there is some research on the effects of mmW frequencies in lab environments, showing evidence of harm (e.g. cataract formation, heart arrhythmias and low immune cell function (14)) and there is observational research showing increased rates of cancer in military radar operators and police officers exposed to radar guns (both of which utilize mmWs)(15, 16, 27). In addition there is research documenting the adverse effects, especially carcinogenic, of existing cellular networks (2G, 3G and 4G) and cell phones. We can also extrapolate from thousands of peer-reviewed scientific studies (4) demonstrating the harmful effects of RF electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation on humans, animals and plant life. Effects of RF radiation in humans and animals include the now proven development of brain cancer due to cell phone radiation (3), miscarriages, altered brainwaves and cognitive impairment, altered heart rhythms and cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, autism, ADHD, infertility, DNA damage, cataract formation (4), insomnia, fatigue, depression, headaches, dizziness, anxiety and more (5). Effects on plant-life include damage to visible structures and an increased propensity for burning, which may increase risk of forest fires (21). In addition, more frequently pulsed EMFs have been shown to be more harmful (5), which is particularly concerning with regards to mmW 5G base stations with their very high pulsation rates. Fetuses, young children, the old and infirm are at highest risk.

 

On the other hand, inherently biased, industry-funded studies, usually plagued with a variety of methodological flaws, oversights and deliberate obfuscations, have consistently shown either conflicting, much lower, or no effects of RF radiation on health (5). The situation is reminiscent of the biased research long publicized by tobacco companies touting the safety of their products before evidence to the contrary and public awareness became so overwhelming the manifest harm could no longer be ignored and governments were forced to intervene (17).

 

So far regulatory bodies governing 5G technology have been manned by personnel with demonstrable conflicts of interest (6, 7) and have universally acted in the interests of industry, depending on industry-friendly studies and literature reviews that exclude or misrepresent evidence of harm from RF EMFs when developing guidelines for implementation and safe exposure levels (5). Standard setting bodies and industry have relied on outdated models of how different types of radiation can cause harm, positing that the only physiological effects of RF radiation are due to heating of tissues. They argue that there is no known mechanism for radiation in the non-ionizing range, like RF, to cause DNA damage or any physiological effects aside from heating, and therefore research demonstrating a myriad of pathologies from RF exposure must be faulty and furthermore no safety research is even necessary. However, a coherent body of research has clearly shown there are at least 23 individual cellular mechanisms of harm from non-ionizing RF radiation, all arising from it’s direct and overwhelming activation of voltage gated calcium ion channels, which are found in all living cells. 15 of these mechanisms lead directly to cancer (5, 22).

 

 

In addition, as researcher Arthur Firstenberg explains (4): “The idea that we will tolerate tens to hundreds of times more radiation at millimetre wavelengths is based on faulty modelling of the human body as a shell filled with a homogeneous liquid.[77][78] The assumption that millimetre waves do not penetrate beyond the skin completely ignores nerves,[79] blood vessels[80][81] and other electrically conducting structures that can carry radiation-induced currents deep into the body.[82][83][84] Another, potentially more serious error is that phased arrays are not ordinary antennas. When an ordinary electromagnetic field enters the body, it causes charges to move and currents to flow. But when extremely short electromagnetic pulses enter the body, something else happens: the moving charges themselves become little antennas that reradiate the electromagnetic field and send it deeper into the body. These reradiated waves are called Brillouin precursors.[85] They become significant when either the power or the phase of the waves changes rapidly enough.[86] 5G will probably satisfy both criteria.”

 

In order to accelerate the rollout of 5G and ensure a barrier-free regulatory environment (18) the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made it illegal for local authorities to limit the provision of wireless services (9), specifically prohibiting enforcement of existing environmental laws to restrict deployment (8) and disallowing the regulation of wireless technology “on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency radiation” (10), which was interpreted by one US court to include any “health concerns from radio emissions (11).” However, in August 2019, the DC circuit court, contested this legislation, allowing historic preservation and environmental concerns to factor into cell tower placement decisions (26).

 

Given the well-documented harm of existing RF wireless technologies and the likely multiplied harm at higher mmW frequencies, many thousands of concerned scientists and physicians the world over have repeatedly petitioned governments to halt expansion of and upgrades to existing wireless technology, citing health and environmental concerns (12). Many believe RF radiation is in large part to blame for the epidemic rise in mankind’s civilizational diseases over the last few decades and for the catastrophic loss of up to 80% of various insect populations in the last 30 years (19, 20). It is feared these trends will greatly accelerate with the introduction of 5G, with its more dangerous frequencies radiating at higher power levels. Collapse at the base of the food chain may have a snowball effect at higher levels, leading to mass extinction of higher animals. Damage to plant-life may similarly reverberate up the food chain (21). The planetary Schumann Resonances (ELF electrical waves that originate with discharges of lightning and then resonate between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere) may also be altered by 5G satellites (30). Changes to the Schumann Resonances due to sun spot activity have known health effects on humans and animals (24, 25). Spurred on by the mountain of data and their own experiences, concerned citizens worldwide have gathered to successfully halt the expansion of wireless services, including 5G, into their neighborhoods, schools and hospitals (12), preferring precaution to blind progress and profit motives.

 

Access to the internet is widely considered a basic human right (28), with Finland and Spain even mandating broadband access to all citizens (13). Internet access has been likened to a necessary utility on par with water and electricity. However, convenient access to necessities may come with attendant dangers. Water is an extremely effective medium for the spread of life-threatening diseases. Electricity can electrocute and burn. Similarly, though much more convenient than wired internet, wireless networks carry tremendous risks that must be acknowledged and mitigated. Strong EMFs and especially mmW 5G should not be irradiating anyone, but at the very least must not be allowed anywhere near the pregnant, young, old or infirm. Public awareness of the dangers must be raised and anywhere this technology is present should be clearly marked with warnings of danger, labeling it a class 1 (proven) carcinogen, like cigarette smoke and asbestos. Despite laws to the contrary, human beings do have the right of refusal and those well-informed have the obligation to intervene when their health, wellbeing and the entire planet are at stake.

 

References:

  1. https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/?file=b9a6e6202ee1d5f787cfebb95d3639c5&download. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.

      2. https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/se/internet-of-things/at-a-glance-c45-731471.pdf.              Accessed Nov 11, 2019.

  1. Carlberg M, Hardell L. Evaluation of mobile phone and cordless phone use and glioma risk using the Bradford Hill viewpoints from 1965 on association and causation. Biomed Res Int. 2017:9218486. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5376454. Accessed Nov 9, 2019.
  2. https://www.5gspaceappeal.org/the-appeal. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  3. https://europaem.eu/attachments/article/130/2018-04_EU-EMF2018-5US.pdf. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  4. http://www.avaate.org/IMG/pdf/escrito_web_icnirp_ingles_final.pdf. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  5. https://www.spandidos-publications.com/ijo/51/2/405. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  6. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/05/03/2018-08886/accelerating-wireless-broadband-deployment-by-removing-barriers-to-infrastructure-investment. Accessed Nov 9, 2019.
  7. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/332. Accessed Nov 9, 2019.
  8. Mobile services, 47 U.S.C. § 332(c)(7)(B)(iv). www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2016-title47/pdf/USCODE-2016-title47-chap5-subchapIII-partI-sec332.pdf: “No state or local government or instrumentality thereof may regulate personal wireless service facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent that such facilities comply with the [Federal Communications] Commission’s regulations concerning such emissions.” Accessed Nov 9, 2019.
  9. Cellular Telephone Company v. Town of Oyster Bay, 166 F.3d 490, 495 (2nd Cir. 1999). https://openjurist.org/166/f3d/490/cellular-telephone-company-at-v-town-of-oyster-bay. Accessed Nov 9, 2019.; T-Mobile Northeast LLC v. Loudoun County Bd. of Sup’rs, 903 F.Supp.2d 385, 407 (E.D.Va. 2012). https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-4th-circuit/1662394.html. Accessed Nov 9, 2019.
  10. https://www.cellphonetaskforce.org/governments-and-organizations-that-ban-or-warn-against-wireless-technology/. Accessed Nov 11, 2019
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Internet_access#2003:_World_Summit_on_the_Information_Society. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  12. https://nowhere.news/index.php/2018/10/28/5g-rollout-countless-studies-show-5g-frequencies-cause-illness/. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  13. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijc.23988. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  14. http://exp-oncology.com.ua/article/1845/long-term-exposure-to-microwave-radiation-provokes-cancer-growth-evidences-from-radars-and-mobile-communication-systems. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1497700/. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  16. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-353962A1.pdf. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  17. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  18. https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/analysis/insect-apocalypse-now-what-does-it-meanfor-life-on-earth-890738.html. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  19. https://www.globalresearch.ca/unspoken-truth-emfs-threaten-1-million-species-extinction/5680338. Accessed Nov 11, 2019.
  20. Pall, M. L., 2018. How cancer can be caused by microwave frequency electromagnetic field (EMF)

          exposures: EMF activation of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) can cause cancer including tumor

          promotion, tissue invasion and metastasis via 15 mechanisms. Chapter 7 in Markov, M. S., (Ed.), Mobile

          Communications and Public Health, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, in press.

  1. http://licensing.fcc.gov/myibfs/download.do?attachment_key=1200245. Accessed Nov 12, 2019.
  2. https://www.salzburg.gv.at/gesundheit_/Documents/cherry_schumann_resonances.pdf. Accessed June 12, 2019.
  3. http://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/1450-8230/2006/1450-82300602093C.pdf. Accessed Nov 12, 2019.
  4. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/cadc/18-1129/18-1129-2019-08-09.html. Accessed Nov 12, 2019.
  5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4681507/. Accessed Nov 12, 2019.
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_Internet_access. Accessed Nov 12, 2019.
  7. https://www.pcmag.com/article/365754/5g-vs-5g-e-vs-5ghz-whats-the-difference. Accessed Nov 12, 2019.
  8. https://www.cellphonetaskforce.org/planetary-emergency/
  9. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-s-rumored-2025-plan-beam-data-to-iPhones-from-satellites.448155.0.html

    32. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Facebook-confirms-the-existence-of-Athena-a-secret-internet-satellite-                     project.317596.0.html

   33. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Amazon-s-Project-Kuiper-to-provide-worldwide-broadband-connections-                  via-           3-236-new-satellites.415838.0.html