Technology makes leaps that we take advantage of in our daily lives, making our lives easier. Especially in telecommunications the evolution is huge and now we are getting ready to move into the era of 5G networks.
Our mobile phone, for example, is not just a device for calls or text messages, as it was 20 years ago. Almost everyone uses the internet via mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) to do their work, social media, listen to music, watch videos and much more.
The implementation of the fifth generation networks (5G) started as a pilot in three municipalities of Greece and specifically in Kalamata, Trikala and Zografou.
However, in the city of Messinia, the municipal council decided to close its operation, as there were rumors that this network would cause problems for the health of citizens due to the radiation.
The Ministry of Digital Government had issued a statement, in which, among other things, he highlighted the data of the Hellenic Atomic Energy Commission from the measurements carried out throughout the country, with the data being published on the website of GAEC and are available to all citizens.
Η Hellenic Atomic Energy Committee It has fixed, but also mobile stations that carry out measurements, while in the three municipalities with the pilot application of 5G, three special vans have been provided. So in Kalamata the mobile unit in the Cultural Center of the city had made the relevant measurements.
As you will see in the diagram below, the levels of electromagnetic radiation from 15/11 to 21/11 were much lower than the strict allowable limit.
Also the measurements of the fixed station, which is located in the same part of the city Kalamata, for the month of December (5-11 / 12) were also those below the threshold.
Myths or reality health fears due to 5G?
Newsbeast.gr contacted Konstantinos Kappas, in order to obtain the scientific opinion regarding 5G radiation and whether the concerns for the health of the citizens are grounded.
Mr. Kappas is is professor and director of the Laboratory of Medical Physics - Radiophysics of the Medical Department of the University of Thessaly and the University Hospital of Larissa, responsible for Radioprotection of the two Institutions and was for many years a member of the Examination Committee of the Ministry of Radiophysics.
- Is radiation from the 5G network dangerous for humans? What have researches and studies shown on health effects?
"Three remarks are enough to fully cover the issue: High frequency does not mean high exposure. As the frequency of the radiation increases, the more the exposed body "resists", the less the average range of the radiation decreases. In practice, with the high frequencies of 5G technology, an increasing percentage of radiation is reflected and diffused in space, and the rest is absorbed superficially by the skin and does not penetrate deep.
From a biological point of view, with the increase of the operating frequency of the 5G network (> 3,5 GHz), the permissible safety limit even increases 100% in relation to the 4G network, as the interaction of the radiation with the human tissues decreases. We are exposed radially to 5G, much less than in previous generations 2G, 3G, 4G.
"Dozens of medical devices such as orthopedic, dermatological and other applications, which have been operating for years and save or relieve millions of people, transmit at exactly the same frequencies as 5G antennas and no cases of carcinogenesis have occurred."
- Have there been any health effects from 4G over the years?
"It has never been proven and there have been no real health effects from exposure to 4G radiation. From a Physics point of view, it is reminded that the visible light of the light bulb emits energies from 1.000.000 to 3.000.000 μV (energy unit). The body is freed from the heat that the heart constantly produces by 50% through evaporation and sweat and by 50% through the emission of "thermal" radiation, energy 50.000 - 200.000 μV (perceived at night and only with binoculars at night). All telecommunication antennas, local area networks, LANs, mobile phones and microwave ovens emit radiation from 0,4 μV to 11 μV.
It is completely impossible for this low energy to cause DNA breakage. No one has ever been diagnosed with cancer because they read millions of meV in a light bulb, let alone in an 11 meV cell phone. and Some scientists claim that nevertheless there are "athermal" mechanisms that could cause a problem. They have not yet pointed out and explained even one.
From the point of view of Medicine, the quintessence of Science is repetition. Any research team can claim anything and be able to publish their research in scientific journals. This research becomes objective only when another research team, without any connection to the first, reproduces the same experimental conditions of the original scientific paper and arrives at the exact same results.
It is emphasized that there is not a single experimental work in the world, which clearly concludes that: exposure to RF radiation e.g. from mobile phones, causes biological damage, accurately described, and which conclusion has been produced with the exact same experimental conditions by another research team, independent of the first ".
- We saw in Kalamata that the municipal council blocked the 5G pilot program and it was also heard that infertility and various health issues can be caused. Should there really be such concerns from residents?
"Infertility is a simple sin. It was also heard that: "we will all be roasted", "in the first 5G experiments in the Netherlands birds were falling from the sky", "if you have a pet you will see it going crazy and dying", "the trees will wither in the passage of radiation", " 5G = cancer "," this is a secret program of the Directorate for Global Population Reduction "," radiation doses are pathogenic "," frighteningly high and even at extremely high frequencies, such as microwaves which are the most dangerous "," the "5G technology will make Hitler look like an alchemist compared to modern chemists."
Ignoring these literally unscientific medieval notions and categories it should be understood that the only ones who are able and entitled to speak because of their science are Radiophysicists, Radiologists, Radiotherapists, Nuclear Physicians, Nuclear Physicians, Scientists and the Hellenic Atomic Energy Committee.
All the others, including the doctors of the other specialties, have been taught by the first that "we respect Radiation but we are not afraid of it". They have also been taught that non-ionizing radiation, ie mobile phones, pylons, electricity, networks, etc. respecting the existing safety limits is completely harmless.
In Greece we may encounter phenomena like the one in Kalamata, but abroad Independent Authorities undertake to examine the issue from its scientific point of view. For example, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority (ARPANSA) clarifies that 5th Generation networks do not pose a risk to human health.
The official finding of the Authority is that 5G is safe and in no way poses a risk to public health. ARPANSA has conducted double, "blind" tests, as they are called, on individuals who claim to have already experienced side effects from the pilot operation of 5G networks. The subjects of the research stated that they had the same symptoms, even when the antennas were not in operation, a fact that advocates the scenario of complete lack of danger from the use of electromagnetic fields.
It is emphasized that 5G networks require denser base stations and antennas, which leads smartphones to operate with lower energy requirements, reducing the overall levels of radiation to which the population is exposed. This is a major development over 2G, 3G and 4G.
The scientific community already has a first comprehensive bibliography of over 500 research articles on the impact of high-end 5G technology on health. All scientific studies and reports are taken into account by WHO and ICNIRP for the determination of safety measures ".