These days there is a lot of “alternative facts” being brandied about, with self-proclaimed experts spruiking their opinions as gospel. 5G is one of those topics where we are hearing a lot of noise based on very little, if any, actual scientific evidence.
Over at ABC News Australia’s favourite scientist, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, has penned a very long, well-informed, well-researched, evidence-based piece on why there is nothing to worry about when it comes to the imparted radiation from 5G.
Dr Karl goes through firstly where 5G sits on the electromagnetic spectrum — which includes gamma rays (hulk smash!), x-rays, microwaves and radio waves. All have varying levels of effects on the human body with the lower energy ones having much less effect than the higher ones.
He explains that although the 5G signals have more energy (frequency) than the 4G ones, they are still well and truly well below the level required to cause cancer. It sits below the colour violet on the EM spectrum and is thus considered non-ionising — ie. won’t cause cancer.
Despite many hundreds of studies over the past half century, we have never been able to prove any of these non-ionising waves can cause cancer — and this applies to 5G radiation too.
He even discusses the two studies that showed rats/mice getting cancer after being irradiated with 4G waves “right across the rodents’ bodies for nine hours a day, seven days a week for two continuous years.”
However, this study is often held up as evidence clinching the case for mobile phone radiation causing cancer in humans, and reducing our life expectancy — which is strange, when some of the animals exposed to radiation actually lived longer than the controls.
The studies actually found that the rodents that received the doses of irradiation actually lived longer than those who did not — and the actual number of cancers caused was “very low — all in the single digits”.
So where are all these fake reports and ideas coming from?
Russian TV network Russia Today, Yes for some reason they are pushing the 5G cancer link, without any corroborating evidence or science, extremely hard. According to Guardian reporter Tim Dowling, fringe opinions “take centre stage” at RT with reporting bolstered by testimony from “experts” that no one has ever heard of from institutions no one has ever heard of.
But RT is not alone in pushing the anti-5G agenda. The same folk who specialise in anti-technology, anti-sunscreen and anti-vaccine beliefs can be found peddling 5G hysteria.
They’ll sell you machines that generate “good” electromagnetic radiation to protect you from “bad” electromagnetic radiation — at a cost of a few hundred dollars.
If that’s not your cup of tea, they recommend various supplements claiming to improve our health and “raise our vibrations”.
Just what frequency they raise our vibrations to is not clear. Let’s hope it’s in the non-ionising range.
The whole story is a great read as Dr Karl debunks the myths over non-ionising radiation with one expert actually commenting that the worrying about getting cancer from 5G is more likely to give you cancer than the 5G itself!
For those who want to learn more about 5G and non-ionising radiation we recommend you head on over to ABC News and read the story. As someone who lives every day by evidence-based practice from reputable sources it struck a chord with me.
To fully understand some of the complexities in the modern world, one needs a combination of critical thinking, broad background knowledge, some specific knowledge, and much reading of reputable sources — which includes being able to recognise a reputable source.
“being brandied about . . ” Ha ha, that’s funny. Proofreader’s day off?