Internet can be as dangerous in its own way as radiation |
There have been concerns about technology dating back to the 19th-century Luddites, who opposed the industrial revolution. In recent years, however, the concern has been amplified by the considerable advance of technology. In particular, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the founder of Children’s Health Defense [CHD], has become a lightning rod for controversy, especially regarding his concern about vaccine safety vs effectiveness. Thus, when HHS recently released a revised schedule reducing recommended childhood immunizations from 17 to 11, not including the experimental, risky COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, whose effectiveness is questionable, but whose side effects are demonstrable, a chorus of Cassandras, supported by Big Pharma, warned that children would die. Never mind that the new schedule is the same as that of Denmark, whose children aren’t at elevated risk. Never mind that the youngest children, whose probability of catching COVID is practically infinitesimal, are in greater danger from serious complications arising from the vaccine than from the disease itself. Never mind that parents are advised to consult with their children’s pediatrician about which vaccinations to perform… We could go on and on, but it would take a full-length column to discuss the issue adequately. Our concern here is a less widely reported but equally troublesome question, of special interest to me as a recovering physicist, as to whether microwave radiation from the newest 5G (fifth generation) cell phones is hazardous to our health.
As a preliminary note, there is a world of difference between the radiation that is essentially confined to the interior of a properly shielded microwave oven and the radiation emitted by a cell phone held up to one’s ear in close proximity to the brain. Like other radiation, the primary issue is in the incidence of cancer. Regarding electromagnetic radiation from cell phones, CHD has a long list of studies, which produced some troubling results. First, the radiation-induced symptoms for earlier 2G and 3G (generation) phones were already hazardous. A 2018 study by the National Toxicology Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that high exposure to 900 MHz RF radiation used by cell phones was associated with:
Perhaps even more troubling is that cell phone radiation is more harmful to children than adults. Way back in 2014, a report by L. Lloyd Morgan in the Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure concluded that:
“(1) Children absorb greater amount of microwave radiation (MWR) than adults;
(2) MWR is a Class 2B (possible) carcinogen as is carbon black, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, DDT, lead, nickel, phenobarbital, styrene, diesel fuel, and gasoline. It seems clear that we would not expose children to these other agents, so why would we expose children to microwave radiation?
(3) Fetuses are even more vulnerable than children. Therefore, pregnant women should avoid exposing their fetus to microwave radiation.
(4) Adolescent girls and women should not place cellphones in their bras or in hijabs.
(5) Cellphone manual warnings make clear an overexposure problem exists.
(6) Wireless devices are radio transmitters, not toys. Selling toys that use them should be banned.
(7) Government warnings have been issued but most of the public are unaware of such warnings.
(8) Exposure limits are inadequate and should be revised such that they are adequate.”
Even before seeing all these studies, I came up with a partial solution of keeping my phone on a table with the speaker turned on when in use, which avoids having to hold it up to my ear.
In fairness, the jury is still out on 5G safety, insofar as both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Drug Administration say it’s safe, while as of 2024, “… 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.“ [Forbes Health, January 12, 2024] More specifically, a Children’s Health Defense (CHD) report cites numerous published research studies about the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on humans and animals, three of the most detailed of which appeared in EMF Scientist in 2022, stating that “Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines. Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.”
A study of 5G phones from Sweden observed that for exposure to microwave radiation in the range of frequencies used by cell phones, there is a phenomenon called microwave syndrome, characterized by symptoms including headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, emotional distress, skin lesions including burning sensations, and cardiac and lung symptoms. Individual sensitivities were found to vary, with women generally being more sensitive than men. Pulsed radiation, which is a characteristic of cell phones, was particularly disturbing. Once exposure ended, subjects gradually returned to normal, sometimes taking several weeks.
An additional threat from cell phones is the propagation of microwave radiation through open air by a cellular tower situated on the roof of a building in a residential neighborhood, a practically ubiquitous phenomenon due to the political power of the cellular industry. Speaking personally, I lived for years on the first floor of a four-story condo building whose board of directors accepted a cell tower on the roof, occasioned by its being the tallest building in the neighborhood, in exchange for rental payments. Concerns have arisen because while studies have shown that the power of radiation from cell towers is concentrated in close proximity to the tower and falls off with increasing distance, the distance is at least the length of a city block. Moreover, the radiation has to be far more powerful than that emitted by individual cell phones.
The section on cell towers in the CHD report contains references to various cases. For example, Nilsson (2023) reported that “Within few weeks, a new 5G base station caused typical symptoms of the microwave syndrome or radiofrequency sickness in two men working and living in the office below the base station …. The symptoms disappeared completely within some weeks after the men moved from the office to dwellings with much lower exposure.” Moreover, Khurana found (back in 2010!) that “By searching PubMed, we identified a total of 10 epidemiological studies that assessed for putative health effects of mobile phone base stations …. We found that eight of the 10 studies reported increased prevalence of adverse neurobehavioral symptoms or cancer in populations living at distances < 500 meters [about 0.3 miles] from base stations.” Similarly, in Brazil Dode found (2011) elevated mortality within 500 meters of cellular base stations. The first sentence of their article reads “Pollution caused by the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of radio frequencies (RF) generated by the telecommunication system is one of the greatest environmental problems of the twentieth century.”
While additional longitudinal studies may be needed to quantify the level of risk, it appears prudent to take precautions regarding radiation exposure. The California Department of Public Health issued cell phone guidance for families, particularly those families with children including teens:
We might add that it would be advisable for parents of school-age children to limit them to non-smart phones, since the Internet can be as dangerous in its own way as radiation.
So where does the “follow the science” crowd stand regarding radiation from cell phones (or childhood immunization schedules, for that matter)?
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