5G is here - do we need to protect ourselves?

The new generation 5G will be transmitted from most major cities within the next two years. Korea and China have 5G up and running - China is working on developing 6G. In the UK Manchester, Edinburgh and Coventry already provide 5G, as do some cities in Ireland.

As a non-scientist trying to make sense of this I’m asking is it healthy that we are bombarded with powerful radio frequencies when haven’t got inbuilt protection. As humans we are in tune with the earth’s low frequency electromagnetic frequencies, which are ‘non-oscillating’ i.e. they move in one direction, whereas manufactured fields – such as Wi-fi - move backwards and forwards. I am very sensitive to electromagnetic waves – if I go into an enclosed area with a lot of computers I feel edgy and wired. It’s not pleasant, so 5G worries me. Today we communicate electronically – we rely on it and in the main love it. Does it feel right that the providers can choose to ramp up radio frequency without consultation? Do we really know the consequences of 5G for humanity, the animal world AND the environment?

how does 5G work?

5G means fifth generation radio frequency – www.livescience.com/65959 describes it as ‘the next leap in speed…with delivery rates of 10-100 times faster than current 4G’. In order to have more available radio-wave highways providers need ‘to expand into higher frequencies of millimetre waves…which will require more closely placed base stations’. Multiple-input-multiple-output (Massive MIMO) antennas are needed to conduct these millimetre waves. 5G means millions of new base stations on earth and at least 20,000 new satellites in space. The satellites will be placed in the Earth’s magnetosphere which influences the electrical properties of the atmosphere.

the science

Some people, including environmentalists, are concerned about the potential health hazards of 5G. Scientists are not all in agreement about its effects - below are some differing views on the subject.

Professor Kenneth Foster a bio-engineer at Pennsylvania State University USA has studied the health effects of radio waves for nearly 50 years. He explains ‘All light is radiation…it’s simply energy moving through space. It’s ionizing radiation that is dangerous because it can break chemical bonds’ For example ultraviolet light from the sky can ‘knock electrons from their atoms, damaging skin cells and DNA’. ‘Millimetre waves, on the other hand, are non-ionizing because they have longer wavelengths and not enough energy to damage cells directly’. Professor Foster adds that ‘At high exposure levels radio frequency (RF) energy can be hazardous, producing burns…typically only found ‘near high powered radio frequency transmitters…or sometimes [where] medical procedures [have gone wrong]’.

Studies on non-ionizing radiation have concentrated on a range of illnesses from brain tumours to intense headaches. Male rats exposed to 2G & 3G RF radiation – 4 times the level deemed safe for human exposure - developed adrenal and brain tumours, but mice and female rats did not. Professor Foster does agree that we ‘need more studies on the potential health effects of 5G networks’.

why are some people so concerned?

Dr Martin Pall PhD, a bio-chemist and geneticist, explains that there are two types of electro-magnetic field (EMF) - high frequency and low frequency - the latter includes Wi-fi cell phones and computers. ‘Man-made low frequency waves can impact our electromagnetic systems disrupting metabolism and DNA.’ This can affect mental health, concentration and physical health. Dr Pall also believes that EMF increases intracellular calcium. Large amounts of calcium can lead to abundance of nitric oxide which can cause toxic reactions in the body.

Philomena Bluyssen Professor of Indoor Environmental Department of Architecture at Delft University in Holland and author of The Indoor Environment Handbook believes that ‘extreme low frequency magnetic fields – ELF – ‘can have short term… and possibly long-term effects’. No single one of us has live a full lifetime and reproduced, subjected to such an environment.

In 2015 215 scientists from 41 countries sent a petition to United Nations and the World Health Organisation (WHO) stating that numerous scientific publications had shown that EMF (electromagnetic fields) affect living organisms, including children, wildlife, bees, birds and possibly our whole ecology whose biological rhythms are controlled through the earth’s natural electromagnetic fields. Current evidence shows that many wildlife species have dramatically declined in the last decade. Eklipse, an EU funded research body, reports that electro-magnetic radiation from cell phones and towers can disorientate insects and affect plant health

facts

There has been a 75% decline in the bee population over the last 27 years. (Wi-fi was first released in the UK in 1997 22 years ago.)

The Earth’s population of wild vertebrates – mammals, birds, reptiles, fish – have declined over 60% in the last 50 years – (1970-2014).

These statistics are likely be attributable to many factors including chemical pollution and climate change. In the case of the bees it is known that if an active cell phone is left in or close to a beehive the bees leave.

the 5G International Appeal to stop 5G on earth 5gspaceappeal.org/the-appeal has many signatures to date. They believe that ‘the deployment of 5G constitutes an experiment on humanity and the environment that is defined as a crime under international law’. A Global Day of Protest is organised for January 25 2020 – groups in many countries have announced they are organising events.

In the UK advice comes from the Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies who warns people to turn their devices off at night, citing ‘blue light’ from computer/smart phone use. Blue light disturbs the pineal gland and affects melatonin production, which creates balanced sleep cycles. It seems that the jury is out on 5G in the meantime……

what can you do to protect yourself?

The idea of personal protection from EMF is a new concept to most people. I can’t substantiate the science. I do know that if I test the strength of an arm holding a mobile phone with a Bioprotective sticker on it the arm is generally stronger than when holding an unprotected phone.

Bioprotective systems.com have stickers to put on devices and have just launched a 5G protection pack for the home/office at a whopping £650…. a price obviously not for everyone. Bioprotective Systems state that the 5G system ‘neutralises the negative EMF radiation by a ‘superimposed positive counter negative frequency’.

The Pure Harmony Pendant is another product on the market which is getting attention. A video posted by James Goren, a bio-medical engineer who pioneered the first implantable neural stimulator to block pain, shows Goren using a Wi-fi meter measuring people wearing and not wearing the Harmony Pendant. The results were noticeable, red i.e. alarm for those not wearing the pendant and yellow on the meter for those who were. Goren was fascinated by the results but states the concept needs more scientific research.

xUbi is another EMF protection product– a hologram of paramagnetic material to be stuck to the back of every device. The manufacturers claim - with a US patented technology - that the ‘device protects against 84-100% of cellular damage to human cells from EMF’.

consider EMF protection for you and your children

· The idea is that every device should have a protection on it, including possibly your home.

· Be aware that EMFs are much more harmful to children than adults. Animals are just as vulnerable.

· If you are doing a new build consider hard wiring the internet – it’s believed to be a healthier option. New schools in Germany already do this. Sweden only allows new homes and schools to be built at least 75 metres from power lines and electrical equipment.

· Turn off all devices at night and don’t have them in your bedroom.