If you've ever wandered through a city you might have noticed tiny mini 5G cell towers on the poles of street lights. They look like little boxes, but they're actually broadcasting wireless signals from cell phone providers to your mobile.
They are replacing larger, purpose-built cell towers. While they're not as noticeable however, they could create problems for those who live nearby.
It is the Federal Communications Commission's Radiation Exposure Thresholds
The FCC's Radiation Exposure Thresholds establish the safe limit at which a person can be exposed to electromagnetic energy generated by wireless devices. The limits for exposure are based upon scientific research that show that RF energy could be harmful to human health.
The specific absorption rate (SAR) is an indication of the amount of radiofrequency energy that is absorbed by tissue. It is typically 1.6 milliwatts per kilogram spread over a Gram of tissue.
However, because 5g transmits at higher frequencies this could be able to cause greater energy intensity on the skin and other directly-exposed body areas. This could result in various possible harms, like the appearance of skin conditions like dermatitis, skin cancer and cataracts.
Due to the potential for harmful effects of radiation from 5G, PSU has chosen to set a general localized limits on power density, which is 4mW/cm2 measured over 1 cm2, and never to exceed 30 minutes, for all 5G services at 3000 GHz. This localized limit is in accordance with the highest SAR that is spatially averaged at 1.6 W/kg, averaged over one g of tissue at 6 GHz.
The FCC's Maximum Exposure Thresholds
If you've ever used a cell phone, then you're aware that the safest distance from the tower is at least 400 meters. This is because the power of transmission from a cell tower increases dramatically the further away the tower is.
Although this may sound like an ideal idea but the truth is that people living in close proximity to towers may actually be more vulnerable to health problems. For instance, a study conducted in 2014 in India discovered that those who lived within 50 meters from cell towers suffered much more health problems than those who were away from the antennas.
But, the study found that people who moved to areas further away from the cell towers saw their symptoms improve within a couple of days. Another study has shown that exposure to high frequencies of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) can cause brain tumors, cancers as well as other health issues.
This is due to the fact that radiofrequency radiation, which is utilized in wireless communication, can penetrate the body's outer layer, which is the skin. This is important to understand since the skin serves as a shield against injury to the body, infection by pathogenic microorganisms, and the entry of harmful substances. Additionally, what is a safe distance from a cell tower is the biggest organ in the human body and is accountable for maintaining the integrity of other organs.
The FCC's Minimum Exposure Thresholds
The FCC's Minimum Exposure Thresholds are based on several assumptions that are not supported by scientific evidence. safe distance from cell tower include the erroneous assumption that short-term exposures to RF radiation are safe due to minimal absorption into body (i.e. thermal heating of tissue).
This assumption does not take into account the deeper penetration of the ELF elements of modulated radio signals and the effect on the body of short bursts generated by RF waves that are pulsed. These assumptions are not in line with current understanding of the biological effects of RF radiation. Therefore, they should not be considered for health protection exposure standards.
In what is a safe distance from a cell tower , the ICNIRP and FCC limit their maximum exposure limits to local peak SARs based on the maximum frequency of absorption (psSAR) which is not a sufficient dosimetric tool to determine the degree of radiation exposure. Particularly the psSAR tool is not accurate for frequencies that exceed 6 GHz. Additionally, psSAR hasn't been evaluated for RF radiation that is exposed to other environmental agents , such like sunlight. In the event of interactions, RF radiation with other environmental agents may produce synergistic or antagonistic effects. This could result in an increased risk of negative health adverse effects. For instance, exposure to RF radiation and sunlight could cause an increase in the incidence of skin cancer, and may also exacerbate other skin diseases such as acne.