The latest wireless technology advancement is the roll-out of the 5G network. With 5G, the world is promised incredible internet speeds and the ability to accommodate enormous amounts of data. However, in all that excitement, people tend to forget that new technology means more danger, which is why it is important to ask what are the negatives of 5G.
It is easy for people to get lost in the promise of no more buffering videos and high internet speeds. This leads to them not considering the negative impact this new network can have on human health and the environment.
What Are the Negatives of 5G?
Despite its promise of never before seen internet speed and capabilities, the 5G network has some serious drawbacks. The negatives include risks to human health, which can lead to many diseases. Also, the network poses a serious threat to the environment.
The Negative Impact of 5G
Human exposure to EMF radiation would exponentially rise as a result of 5G, at frequencies that have never been used in consumer applications. The levels of 5G EMF radiation to which individuals would be exposed have not been determined by surveys.
We cannot accurately predict the consequences of 5G on the human body because there have been no safety studies into the short- or long-term health implications of 5G.
An example of EMF radiation is 5G. This kind of EMF is classified as a Class 2B carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization. Besides, additional studies have shown that EMF is genotoxic, which can damage your DNA.
Some scientific research has shown that exposure to this kind of radiation can cause various illnesses besides cancer, including nausea, hair fall, swelling, low libido, hunger loss, loss of bone marrow, depression, damage to organs, confusion, disturbed immune function, etc.
Although there is substantial evidence that new 5G exposures do not comply with these limits, even if 5G radiation emissions do, this does not imply that 5G is safe. Even though 5G is increasing exposure to higher energy forms of EMF radiation, the safety regulations governing the technology have remained unchanged.
Additional Drawbacks of 5G
Because 5G is still in its infancy, the long-term effects on humans and the environment are still a big question mark. However, it does not mean it is completely unknown, as I think it can be pretty accurately predicted that the impact will be graver than 4g, as it will undoubtedly result in more EMFs around us.
Implementing new infrastructure
One thing guaranteed with the introduction of 5G is the implementation of new infrastructure because the existing one cannot handle it. 5G emits high frequencies between 30 GHz and 300 GHz, which requires antennas to be close to each other.
This means that the new infrastructure will exist alongside the existing 4G due to the lack of far-reaching signals. As 5G requires far more towers and energy combined, they will emit more EMFs than ever before in human history.
Moreover, building new towers means cutting down more forests and destroying wildlife, which will be disastrous for the environment.
E-waste
Another thing that will severely harm the environment the farther 5G spreads is the inevitable piles of e-waste. As billions of people will move on to 5G phones, the old ones will end up in landfills as they are incompatible with the new technology.
This will pose a global problem as there is no current recycling plan for the old technology. The landfills will keep piling up with bigger quantities of e-waste.
Disrupt the ecosystem
The high-frequency electromagnetic waves emitted by 5G cell towers can potentially harm animals and various ecosystems. According to one study by the Punjab University, India, fertilized sparrow eggs exposed to cell tower radiation for five to thirty minutes were disfigured.
Moreover, wireless frequencies also interfere with birds’ navigational systems and circadian rhythms, affecting their migration. According to another study, bees exposed to low-band spectrum radiation for ten minutes suffered colony collapse disorder.
Cyber security
With so many countries rushing to build the necessary infrastructure for 5G, a new approach to cyber security is needed because the existing one will leave entire power grids vulnerable to cyber attacks.
This is something that hackers will try to exploit, and due to the vulnerabilities of the new technology, they will be able to gain access to our data. Because the software 5G operates on is vulnerable, the hackers will fully control the network if a cyber attack occurs.
Children and 5G
Currently, the youth are at the biggest risk, which brings up the concept of cumulative effect, which is related to electromagnetic radiation and children. Since children are now exposed to EMF at a younger age and in greater volumes, by the time they reach adulthood, their cumulative exposure will be at a level that has never been observed in humans and has certainly never been studied.
When exposed to any carcinogen, children are more at risk than adults. Tumors caused in children may not be discovered until far into adulthood since the usual latency period from the first exposure and diagnosis of a tumor can be decades long.
In summary, it can take years to understand the real health effects. Children are more vulnerable and need more protection for various reasons. Similar to how both their bodies and brains are still forming.
Conclusion
While 5G will undoubtedly provide the world with never before seen internet speeds, one has to wonder if it is worth the risk. Before you get too excited about the potential benefits of the new network, you should learn what are the negatives of 5G.
As you can see, there are plenty of potentially disastrous drawbacks, from health issues to negative environmental impacts. Furthermore, with both 4G and 5G infrastructure in use, the EMF radiation will be higher than ever, and our children will feel the long-term effects.
