Sunday, July 21, 2019

5G The Hype and The Concern


So as can be expected, the nutcases are out spreading fear about 5G cell phone technology.  It can be a deep dark rabbit hole if you follow it down.  It can also get confusing.

So the first thing to tackle is the question of cellphones and cancer links.  To begin, you have to understand a little something about radiation.  The term ‘radiation’ conjures up scary Hollywood-style mutations and melting flesh.  The reality is that radiation is all around us, from light bulbs, radio, to x-rays and gamma rays.  It’s all on a spectrum.

pic source: 


Here you can see that cellphone radiation is non-ionizing.  So should there be a concern?   Consistent and replicable scientific consensus has shown that it is just not powerful enough to break chemical bonds.  The only thing it may do is very slightly warm the skin.
 https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Furman_University/CHM101%3A_Chemistry_and_Global_Awareness_(Gordon)/05%3A_Basics_of_Nuclear_Science/5.04%3A_Ionizing_Radiation_and_Non_ionizing_Radiation 

One also has to understand the difference between hazard and risk.  A good analogy from Steven Novella is “Hazard is merely the potential for causing harm. A loaded gun is a hazard. Risk is the probability of actual harm. If that loaded gun is locked away in a safe, then the risk it poses is minimized. If that same loaded gun is in the hands of a child, the risk is huge. “  https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/5g-is-coming/
He says that our current safety limits are more than adequate.

Also check out the many other articles from SBM https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/tag/cell-phones/ 

Did a test of the system cause birds to die?   According to Snopes, this is simply false.  https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/5g-cellular-test-birds/

I recently saw a video (from a non-credible source) which had the ramblings of a man names Mark Steele.  He was rambling on about the supposed dangers of 5G.  He is known for being a nutcase crank spouting nonsense.  He claims to be a weapons expert/scientist but no proof of that has surfaced that I can find.  Although I did find that he was a bouncer at a club and shot a teenage girl in the head


So his credibility is already shot.  But it goes deeper as he has been shown to constantly lie about not knowing people like those in city council but yet his company, Reevu, has direct dealings with the government in and around Gateshead.  Why anyone would listen to Mark Steele and take him seriously is beyond me.

So is there any real concern with 5G?   Yes.  It is using a frequency that is close to that used by weather satellites.  This may cause accuracy issues with weather forecasting.  https://youtu.be/K2rY7JkwL2k

So don't be gullible and fall for the hype that 5G is gonna cause you cancer.