Federal Communications Commission officials said today that 5G is safe and the rules regulating radio emissions for safety don’t need to be changed in order to accommodate it.
FCC chairman Ajit Pai is proposing small changes to the way the commission determines whether radio wave emissions are safe, but those changes are only designed to make the rules more consistent across technology types, the commission said. They aren’t being made any stricter, as the current limits are already “among the most stringent in the world.”
There has never been compelling evidence that 5G radio waves are dangerous. While they’re higher frequency than the radio waves used for 4G, they remain in the part of the radio spectrum that doesn’t damage human DNA — what’s known as non-ionizing radiation. Even the higher-frequency emissions used in 5G remain less energetic than visible light.
On a call with reporters, FCC officials said that there was no sign 5G airwaves would be any less safe than the airwaves used for 3G or 4G.
The commission has made similar statements before on calls with reporters, albeit with less clarity. It’s also implicitly acknowledged 5G as safe by approving the use of devices that support it.
But today’s gesture is its firmest acknowledgement yet that the FCC believes 5G is safe to use. By leaving emissions standards unchanged, the commission says that its existing standards are already strict enough to determine when radio emissions become problematic. A properly functioning 5G device still falls within those standards.
Comments
Glad to hear, we have far too many people in hysterics over this topic near Seattle. They’re almost as bad as the anti-vaxers.
If you do need to point them in the right way (and they believe in science over pseudoscience,) inform them that it’s a suite of technologies, a range of frequencies, with a greater number of towers which will be lower powered than existing 4G towers. They don’t need to worry about being microwaved.
By Sammich8 on 08.08.19 6:04pm
Precisely, not to mention that as the older wireless technology bands are shut off (2G & 3G) across the board, there will be less active radio waves.
By UnbiasedFanboy96 on 08.08.19 7:17pm
I know how you feel — plenty of loons here in Portland, also. You would think the mobile carriers are trying to fluoridate our water, or something. God forbid we have teeth in our mouth.
By Cacogen on 08.09.19 5:30am
"…… Again??? "
By TheTruthØE on 08.08.19 7:36pm
5G is causing the chemtrails! Wait, I mean HAARP is causing the chemtrails with the 5Gees!1
By Cacogen on 08.09.19 4:44am
But my tinfoil hat is tingling whenever I’m close to an antenna!
By nobbs on 08.09.19 5:27am
As someone who works in Telecom installation, I often have to explain how 5G works and the reason it has 0% chance to cause you any harm. I have an easy to understand explanation that should suffice anyone with an IQ over 30.
The way radio waves work, is a bit like playing with dodge balls.
Dodge balls are designed to hit you and not cause harm. They are made of soft foam, and when they hit you, they don’t hurt.
If you replace the dodge balls with soccer balls, the potential for harm increases as soccer balls are harder and carry more kinetic energy. As a result, when playing dodgeball with soccer balls, people will normally be required to lower the strength at which they throw the balls, or increase the distance between players.
The size of the balls didn’t change, only the material of which they are made of and the amount of energy they carry.
The same concept applies to radio waves.
Shorter wave lengths need less energy to cause harm than longer wave lengths do as they tend to release more of their stored energy upon impact onto any form of hard material.
(This makes them great for delivering consistent high speed data within short distances as they can carry more data [more waves per second], but drop after a wall or two and don’t interfere with neighbouring signals.)
As a result, the amount of energy which they are allowed to carry is smaller. High enough to carry high speed internet, but not enough to cause harm to your soft tissue skin cells, even upon release of energy onto them. It’s a bit like telling people tossing soccer balls at you to limit how hard they throw the ball.
The tradeoff is that they travel less far because we deliver them with less energy.
If one were to increase the voltage through which they are delivered (thus causing an increase in amplitude), they would carry more energy and travel further, but would be risky at shorter distances, hence why Telecom is strictly regulated to keep their levels below the amounts that are harmful to human beings.
Many people like comparing 5G signals to their Microwave cousins (the next bump up in the spectrum). That’s like comparing dodge balls with their slightly larger bowling balls.
The size is bigger (or rather shorter in wavelength), but the material and energy they are allowed to carry is a lot higher too (or in wave terms, the wattage microwaves are allowed to carry is high enough to cook one’s food. If you lower the wattage, they heat less. Lower it enough, and it’s 100% safe to hit human skin tissue).
By Buggy3D on 08.09.19 6:22pm