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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be concerned about the rollout of 5G?

47 replies

NigelGresley · 04/03/2019 17:15

Very little information seems to be available about whether 5G is actually safe. It involves the use of much higher frequencies than current 2/3/4G and will need many more transmitters.

It feels as though we are sleepwalking into this without taking the time to properly understand the potential health impacts.

Are phones and other devices now such an integral part of our lives that we will use them no matter what the cost is?

ehtrust.org/key-issues/cell-phoneswireless/5g-networks-iot-scientific-overview-human-health-risks/

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Arnoldthecat · 04/03/2019 17:23

I certainly wouldnt hold any mobile phone to my head for an extended length of time due to the RF energy being radiated and its close proximity. I think that is sufficent as a safeguard.

After all we are surrounded by RF energy and if you live close to a transmitter you may not realise what power levels and frequencies are being emitted.

We all have a microwave transmitter in our houses in the form of a microwave oven but no one considers those to be a big danger.

pandarific · 04/03/2019 17:27

I didn't quite understand what they were saying the 5g radiation does to sweat glands?

TalkinPaece · 04/03/2019 17:28

It involves the use of much higher frequencies than current 2/3/4G and will need many more transmitters
Que?
Its using the same frequencies already allocated for mobile phones

Errrrrrr · 04/03/2019 17:29

There are a group of EU scientists who are lobbying for an independent review of 5G emissions and the implications at the moment. The rollout of 5G is very much in the test phase at the moment so I don't think it's worth panicking yet, but I agree, worth keeping an eye on.

Errrrrrr · 04/03/2019 17:36

Talkin no, these are new frequencies in higher spectrum bands which haven't been used commercially before. They will allow a lot more capacity, but as Nigel says this will mean maybe as many as 10x more antennas (but smaller ones) and higher frequencies. There is a genuine scientific concern about the health risk of 5G and a lot of research being done at the moment.

TalkinPaece · 04/03/2019 17:37

no, these are new frequencies in higher spectrum bands which haven't been used commercially before
Link please

Errrrrrr · 04/03/2019 17:43

Link

PetuniaPetunia · 04/03/2019 17:44

Arnold no we don't all have microwave ovens. Some people are concerned about them.

Trills · 04/03/2019 17:48

So worrying about 5G is in the same league as worrying about microwaves?

Got it.

StoorieHoose · 04/03/2019 18:14

Move to Scotland. Most areas struggle to get a 4g signal so it will be decades before 5g manages it

Ariela · 04/03/2019 18:22

Won't affect us, we live in a semi rural area that's a black spot for mobiles and broadband. Not expecting to get access to 4g either.

longwayoff · 04/03/2019 18:36

Would someone please explain, in very simple terms, what 3g, 4g, 5g mean and why we should be concerned. Thanks in anticipation.

Original poster
NigelGresley · 04/03/2019 18:40

You can’t really compare this to a microwave oven. Yes a microwave is one of the many sources of radiation we’re exposed to, but it’s not on all the time is it.

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TalkinPaece · 04/03/2019 19:14

errrrr
I'm struggling to understand what your concern is about the use of frequencies around the 1 GHz range

There is shed loads of radiation at much much higher frequencies around
and they make life possible

Shamoogren · 04/03/2019 19:21

Would someone please explain, in very simple terms, what 3g, 4g, 5g mean and why we should be concerned. Thanks in anticipation

Totally agree. Yes please. Anyone?

jimmyhill · 04/03/2019 19:23

3G = third generation
4G = fourth generation
5G = fifth generation

Errrrrrr · 04/03/2019 19:28

Talkin I'm not some random internet nutter, i work in this industry. I am not hugely concerned about the emf implications of 4G and I think 5G has the potential to be hugely beneficial for all of us, I was just agreeing with the OP that there is a recognised and legitimate concern about the proliferation of 5G points of presence, particularly at higher frequencies as the wavelength is necessarily shorter. If you're a scientist and would like to provide evidence to the contrary I will gladly take a look. www.5gappeal.eu this application by European scientists is currently with the EU.

Poppy43 · 04/03/2019 19:32

I was just recently reading about this. Look up 5g Gateshead Council. There's a YouTube video someone has made and he's talking about the lack of birds in the area scince the 5g has been installed up there.

TalkinPaece · 04/03/2019 19:36

Errrrrrr
Well well, I've just found another reason that certain unpleasant business types supported Brexit Grin
But yes, looking at that I can see that its the increased unavoidable load rather than the frequencies per se that are an issue.

The trouble is that decent research to extract the effect of any part of the EM spectrum will have low levels of confidence and require later meta analysis
and greedy businesses will be unwilling to lose the battle against China setting the standards.

Uptheduffagai · 04/03/2019 19:44

Yes I’m very concerned about 5g, even those of us out in the country aren’t safe they’re putting them up everywhere. Take a look at the test masts I guarantee there will be one nearer than you think. Look at the brain cancer clusters and deaths at San Diego state university.

The world health organisation also classifies Radiofrequency eletromagnetic fields (the radiation cell towers give) as a possible cancer causing carcinogenic to humans. There’s just not enough evidence to classify it higher. 5G operates at a much higher frequency than the usual cell towers and there will be a much larger amount of them.

Original poster
NigelGresley · 04/03/2019 20:02

I wasn’t so concerned about the move from 2G to 3G then 4G as they were all roughly in the same wave band.

(From Wiki) “5G networks will use higher frequency radio waves, in or near the millimeter wave band from 30 to 300 GHz, whereas previous cellular networks used frequencies in the microwave band between 700 MHz and 3 GHz.”

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Arnoldthecat · 04/03/2019 20:04

Arnold no we don't all have microwave ovens. Some people are concerned about them
yes of course i was generalising. I have a combination oven i.e micro/fan oven and grill. It is mostly used in fan oven mode which it does very well. I have been known to rustle up some micro scrambled eggs as well.

We are in an era now where mobile data is often a better solution for those who use ADSL broadband at home. When my next renewal comes up i shall be investigating the possibility of a mobile hub rather than ADSL.

As other have suggested, we are bathed in RF energy,essential to everyday life, at a huge range of frequencies and power levels. RF energy, just like electricity, can be harmful and the key issues are frequency,power level and proximity.

5G is a data protocol. Frequency is a different matter. Different services are allocated to specific frequency bands so that they do not clash with each other. Mobile services are typically in the microwave range and up. There is plenty of free space at that range and less chance of interference. Antennae are much smaller too !

Original poster
NigelGresley · 04/03/2019 20:06

Yes I’m very concerned about 5g, even those of us out in the country aren’t safe they’re putting them up everywhere. Take a look at the test masts I guarantee there will be one nearer than you think.

I thought the only test area in the UK was Bristol?

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Original poster
NigelGresley · 04/03/2019 20:09

And will planning permission be needed for the new antennae, or are we likely to wake up one day and find one attached to the telegraph pole/lamppost/bus stop outside our house?

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