Radiation Hazard Battles Continue Unabated
Radiation Hazard Battles Continue Unabated
By Sam Benzacar
In the nearly 40 years I’ve been in the microwave industry,
the most long-lasting, contentious, and “agenda-driven” issue I’ve encountered
concerns the potentially damaging effects electromagnetic energy to humans. After
hundreds of studies and thousands of peer-reviewed journal articles, the issue
remains as poisonous as ever. In fact, the only issue of any kind in any
discipline I can think of that has been around for this long is whether
vaccinations cause various medical issues, including autism, the flu, and other
diseases or conditions.
The difference the latter and former is that while the junk-science-based
vaccination claims have been thoroughly debunked by massive statistical
evidence, there is no consensus about what, other than heating effects,
electromagnetic energy can do to harm the body. When asked for a definitive
answer, most people involved with the issue take the safe road: We just don’t
know. This leaves the door wide open for speculation by virtually anyone and
especially by those with a vested interest in assuring the public that there’s
nothing to worry about and as well as those who simply don’t want ugly cell
sites in their neighborhoods and use public safety to defend their positions.
The scientific community doesn’t come off well, either. For
example, large studies conducted over the years showed no direct correlation
between RF energy and brain damage, changes to DNA, cancer, and other maladies.
Upon close inspection, the people conducting the studies have often had
connections to the wireless industry or have been funded by manufacturers or
industry groups. Some studies have been so seriously flawed that it’s hard to
believe that per review was even conducted. Many other studies showing a direct
correlation, however, have withstood intense inspection, and this list is growing,
especially in some Scandinavian countries.
The latest onslaught from both sides of this position
focuses on 5G and the need to operate at millimeter-wave frequencies. As they have
very limited range, huge numbers of small cells will be needed to deliver the
blindingly-fast data rates and low latency carriers are promising. As these
small base stations have started to sprout in some cities, they’re becoming
hard to miss, a situation that will only become more intense if “coverage
everywhere” is to be achieved.
But this time, the naysayers won’t have as much ammunition,
as unlike at lower frequencies, millimeter-wave energy doesn’t penetrate the
skin to significant depths, making it more difficult to build a case that small
cells in the neighborhood are a health hazard. That’s not likely to stop the
outcry from the hundred-odd groups throughout the country that belong to
coalitions like Americans for Responsible Technology. We can also expect new
studies to appear that are dedicated to millimeter-wave rather than RF and
microwave frequencies.
Meanwhile, the wireless industry will continue to roll out
5G at a mad pace—and we’ll all be using it eventually. As for the answer to the
question of health hazards, the safe answer will continue to be “we just don’t
know.”
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