Effects of 5G Wireless Communication on Human Health: Since the 1980s, There has been a trend to divide the technological progress in wireless communication into different generations. The first generation of wireless communication devices or mobiles as we call them now were available only in select few countries and then with 2G (second generation) devices the wireless communication industry as a whole broadened to include most of the world.
Subsequently, 3G, then 4G, and now 5G mobile wireless communication technology is or will be available for the general public. On a side note, if you are looking for some amazing deals check out the Gartner Digital Marketplace 5G technology is not a new thing, it is the same old technology but with several improvements. 5G technology is also the base upon which IoT devices will work. But as with any technology, this has some negative side-effects but how much harmful if at all they are today we will discuss that.
Exposure To Radio Frequencies
The fifth generation of wireless communication networks(5G) works using radiofrequency fields(RF) in the range of 6GHz and into the millimeter-wave range i.e 30–300 GHz. However, manufacturers and stakeholders have ensured that these RF exposure levels stay below the exposure limits specified by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection(ICNIRP).
Frequencies above 6 GHz have been in use for many years in various applications such as radar, microwave links, and other devices. Also, 5G technology has a lower range than 4G since they operate using short frequency millimeter waves and hence break their integrity when crossing through a solid surface, more wireless towers will be needed to cover an area with 5G. Thus massively increasing mandatory exposure of ordinary citizens. Tissue heating is the scientific term that happens when we humans are exposed to RFs. Think of it as we are popcorn and the microwave is cooking us, albeit not that much faster but the process is the same.
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Energy Intensive
Since 5G is expected to be the basic underlying technology of IoT devices, the signal needs to be stronger, and since this signal is already short-ranged and easily broken up by solid substances, more and more wireless radio towers and signal boosters.
Long-term sustainability of 5G is not yet proven, however, if we go by past records of 4G which itself consumes four percent of the global energy produced by 2040 5G will have consumed about 25 percent of the world’s energy and this is provided we have a stable energy source by then. With replenishing fossil fuel energy and rising global temperatures ultimately how feasible 5G will be no one is certain.
Data Storage
If we do not run out of energy by 2040, we would surely run out of storage. 5G with its vast speeds allows its users to stream, store and share content at lightning-fast speeds, but where is all this data stored? These data(s) are stored in data storage centers that are spread across the entire world. These data centers generate massive amounts of heat and thereby need a lot of coolants.
So with the public availability of 5G, the need for more data centers is expected to skyrocket and hence will result in more pollution and energy consumption. 5G technology requires smaller base radio stations as compared to 4G. Small radio base stations need three times as much power as compared to larger 4G base stations.
Electronic Waste
To enable 5G technology, a lot of communication equipment and network gear needs to be manufactured and these have a high depreciation rate. For example, the network and equipment gear that was used for 2G communications is now scrapped with no use case for most of them. It is the same story for 3G too. Like this, the world may face a massive electronic waste problem if recycling of these network equipment(s) is not taken seriously.
5G is thought to be the underlying technology for IoT devices which will only further up the burden of this e-waste problem. As consumers around the world move to 5G phones, many older phones and IoT devices will be discarded if there are no buyback or recycling plans for them.
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Flora And Fauna
There has been some scientific research data regarding 4G radio waves affecting the normal way of life in certain animals and birds. In a certain research paper, scientists conducted a controlled experiment to understand the effects of radio wave radiation in the bird sparrow. It was seen that even thirty minutes of radiation was sufficient for negative results to show. The sparrows lay deformed eggs.
In another scientific study, it was seen that Bees when exposed to cell tower radiation have suffered from the colony collapse disorder. Wireless radio frequencies have also been found to interfere with the navigational systems and migration patterns of birds too. Now what are 5G’s long-term effects nobody knows but what everybody can sense is the laws of nature are being changed by our usage of more advanced wireless communication technology.
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