In 2018, mobile broadband providers began to roll out 5G networks to large population centers throughout the U.S., following limited deployments in 2017. 5G is available in New York City,…
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The first article of our series on 5G myths, 5G Myths: What CEOs Need to Know About 5G, looked at some of the misconceptions people have about the technology and business potential of 5G. In this follow-up, we look at a question that is being asked with increasing urgency in some quarters: is 5G dangerous?
When new wireless networking technologies go mainstream, the media and various interest groups start to make noise about the potential danger of the technology. It happened with WiFi. It happened with mobile phones. And it’s happening today with 5G.
It’s understandable that the general public is concerned about the effects of a new type of invisible wave traveling through the air. It’s less understandable when “reputable” publishers like Scientific American jump on the bandwagon.
So what is true and what is a myth?
5G is Radiation
Much of the worry about 5G stems from the fact that 5G networks use radiation, and radiation is thought of as harmful. But many forms of radiation are entirely harmless. They pose no health risk. Gamma rays and x-rays are dangerous radiation, for example. But FM radio, TV, infra-red, and visible light are radiation. What’s the difference?
X-rays, gamma rays, and one type of ultraviolet light are ionizing radiation. The shorter wavelengths of ionizing radiation have enough energy to knock electrons out of atoms. Because we’re made of atoms, that makes ionizing radiation dangerous.
Ionizing radiation has wavelengths that are much shorter than 5G waves and radio waves. 5G uses waves with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. They’re often called millimeter waves. X-rays and other forms of ionizing radiation have much shorter wavelengths, between 0.01 and 10 nanometers. The wavelength of x-rays is around a million times shorter than 5G waves.
5G and many other types of radiation used in communication are non-ionizing. They don’t pack enough of a punch to separate electrons from their atoms. The most they can do is heat the material they interact with — just like microwaves, which are also non-ionizing.
But aren’t microwaves dangerous? It depends on how much microwave energy you are exposed to. Microwaves and other types of non-ionizing radiation can cause heating if the energy levels are high enough, but 5G’s energy is much too low to cause harmful heating.
A microwave oven may produce 700 watts or more focused on a point very close to the origin. 5G produces thousands of times less energy than a microwave oven and users are a lot further away from 5G antennas. 5G cells are smaller and use less energy than 4G and other cellular technology.
What About Holding a 5G Radio Next to Your Brain?
A 5G-capable smartphone has a 5G radio in it. Is it dangerous to hold it close to your head?
5G has a shorter wavelength than most radio waves we use. One of the consequences is that the 5G signal can’t travel as far before it is absorbed. 5G is blocked by walls, trees, and even rain. That’s why we need so many more 5G base stations and antennae, and why they have to be closer to each other than previous generations of mobile broadband.
Because they are so easily absorbed, 5G radio waves can’t penetrate through your skin into your brain. The 5G signal is low-energy non-ionizing radiation that has not been shown to cause any damage to humans or animals in real-world conditions.
In other words, 5G is not dangerous.
