New study warns of health risks from 5G microwave radiation

"5G will have an impact similar to the introduction of electricity or the automobile, affecting entire economies and benefiting entire societies," Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf once predicted. 

It now appears, however, that many of these effects may be negative, according to two recent reports by Swedish researchers Mona Nilsson, director of the Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation, and Dr. Lennart Harddell, an oncologist and professor at Orebro University who has published dozens of papers on the effects of non-ionizing radiation. 

"If 5G is not halted," warned Nilsson, "we will probably see more people suffering from microwave syndrome, i.e. deprived sleep, headache, tinnitus, dizziness, fatigue, heart problems, as well as a range of chronic diseases among them, including more cancers and degenerative diseases."

The new findings come at a time when many countries around the world, including the U.S., are erecting huge 5G towers. In New York City, for example, a number of 32-foot-tall 5G poles are being erected as part of the LinkNYC program, according to New York City Patch. Although the technology is intended to benefit those with poor  broadband access by providing quicker internet access, the towers have been met with vocal protests by New Yorkers who criticize the towers as eyesores. 

The technology, however, may pose risks far beyond aesthetic blight.

A report by Harddell and Nilsson, published earlier this month in Annals of Clinical Case Reports, found that two previously healthy men developed symptoms typically associated with a condition called "microwave syndrome" shortly after a 5G tower was erected near their place of work. The condition involves headaches, fatigue, emotional explosiveness, dizziness, inability to concentrate, and a sudden loss of appetite. 

As Harddell has noted previously, the radiofrequency (RF) radiation emitted by 5G towers appears to have deleterious effects on human health and the broader environment. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organization (WHO), previously classified RF electromagnetic fields "as possibly carcinogenic to humans." The IARC warned of an "increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use" (at least 15% of the U.S. population are "smartphone-only" internet users, according to Pew).

Symptoms disappeared in both men studied "within a couple of weeks (case 1) or immediately (case 2)" after leaving their place of work for other sites with much lower RF emissions, Nilsson and Harddell found. "The clinical picture in both men was clearly related to the exposure," they noted, concluding that "5G appears to provoke symptoms of microwave syndrome in previously healthy people."

A previous report by the researchers, published In January, painted a similar picture. Two previously healthy persons, a man (63) and a woman (62), developed symptoms associated with microwave syndrome shortly after the installation of a 5G base station on the roof directly above their apartment. 

"Due to the severity of symptoms, the couple left their dwelling and moved to a small office room" with much lower RF radiation frequencies, Harddell and Nilsson reported. "Within a couple of days, most of their symptoms alleviated or disappeared completely."

"5G increases exposure to microwave radiation of a similar kind that has already been proven to cause harm to people's health in thousands of published papers from scientists all over the world," Nilsson told Just the News. 

"Ever since 2017," she said, "hundreds of scientists and informed physicians have been warning about the dangers of the massive increase in microwave radiation from 5G." 

The "two case studies confirm that 5G does increase radiation massively and that people’s health is rapidly harmed," according to the researcher.

The Swedish researchers' apprehensions are shared by Dr. David O. Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany. Worries surrounding the technology "are justified, because 5G is being rolled out without adequate information as to whether or not it poses risk to humans," he told Just the News.

"It is very clear that 3 and 4G RF cause the microwave syndrome in susceptible individuals," said Carpenter, a Harvard-educated public health physician who has dedicated many years of his career to researching microwave syndrome.

Although "5G, at higher frequency, may in fact not be as bad as 4G because the signals may not penetrate the body as efficiently, there is no excuse for expanding the technology without clear evidence that it does not cause harm," he said.

Expert opinion on the risks, however, remains divided. Luca Chiaraviglio, a professor at the Networking Group in the Department of Electronic Engineering of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy, believes 5G poses little, if any, risks to human health. 

"To date, no adverse health effects have been found for exposure levels adhering to international guidelines" Chiaraviglio told Just The News, citing the guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

Based on current data, there is reason to believe 5G exposure levels are lower than for its predecessors, according to Chiaraviglio. "The measured exposure levels of 5G are very low, even lower than previous generations (e.g., 4G), mainly because 5G is much more energy efficient to transport a single bit over the air, and … 5G usage is still at an early stage (i.e., few users exploit 5G)," he explained.

"Clearly," he concluded, "the monitoring of 5G exposure has to continue in the forthcoming years, but the current picture is low exposure levels generated by 5G."