More Evidence of Adverse Health Effects from 5G Radiofrequency Radiation (updated 10/23/24)

I have written in the past about the deleterious effects of 5G on human health, primarily in the context of its relationship to COVID-19. The title of that essay was: Did 5G Contribute to COVID-19 Labeled Respiratory Illness in 2020? (Updated 9/4/24): Does Electromagnetic Radiation Cause Disease and Disability in Humans?¹ Readers are strongly encouraged to review it.

An important paper has appeared which adds to the plethora of published literature on the topic of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) induced health problems, specifically, with respect to 5G. There is a highly recommended, extensive reference section which can be found at the end of the paper for those interested in pursuing the subject in greater detail. The title and link are as follows:

Summary of seven Swedish case reports on the microwave syndrome associated with 5G radiofrequency radiation

Lennart Hardell, Mona Nilsson

MLA citation: Hardell, Lennart and Nilsson, Mona. "Summary of seven Swedish case reports on the microwave syndrome associated with 5G radiofrequency radiation" Reviews on Environmental Health, 2024. 

From the journal Reviews on Environmental Health

Abstract

The fifth generation, 5G, for wireless communication is currently deployed in Sweden since 2019/2020, as well as in many other countries. We have previously published seven case reports that include a total of 16 persons aged between 4 and 83 years that developed the microwave syndrome within short time after being exposed to 5G base stations close to their dwellings. In all cases high radiofrequency (RF) radiation from 4G/5G was measured with a broadband meter. RF radiation reached >2,500,000 to >3,180,000 μW/m² in peak maximum value in three of the studies. In total 41 different health issues were assessed for each person graded 0 (no complaint) to 10 (worst symptoms). Most prevalent and severe were sleeping difficultly (insomnia, waking nighttime, early wake-up), headache, fatigue, irritability, concentration problems, loss of immediate memory, emotional distress, depression tendency, anxiety/panic, dysesthesia (unusual touched based sensations), burning and lancinating skin, cardiovascular symptoms (transitory high or irregular pulse), dyspnea, and pain in muscles and joints. Balance disorder and tinnitus were less prevalent. All these symptoms are included in the microwave syndrome. In most cases the symptoms declined and disappeared within a short time period after the studied persons had moved to a place with no 5G. These case histories are classical examples of provocation studies. They reinforce the urgency to inhibit the deployment of 5G until more safety studies have been performed.

Introduction

The fifth generation, 5G, for wireless communication has been implemented in Sweden as well as in many other countries since 2019/2020. 5G antennas emit radiofrequency (RF) radiation and so far, the 3.5 GHz frequency has been used as carrier wave for 5G in city environments. When 5G is installed, previous generations such as 2G and 3G are dismantled… According to preliminary pilot investigations in France, 5G exposure varies considerably with number of users in the vicinity of the base station and the size of data transfers.

Concerns were raised by many scientists before the roll-out that 5G would lead to a massive increase in the general public’s exposure to RF radiation (www.5Gappeal.eu). It was noted that RF radiation was already proven to be harmful to human health at levels encountered in the environment before the deployment of 5G. These concerns also highlighted that there was no previous research on the effects on humans and the environment from the new 5G RF radiation exposure, including new higher frequencies, modulations, intense fast pulsing and perhaps most importantly the expected much higher RF radiation exposure. In addition, in a report to the European Parliament in 2019 it was noted that 5G exposure will be more complex than previous systems: “Although fields are highly focused by beams, they vary rapidly with time and movement and so are unpredictable, as the signal levels and patterns interact as a closed loop system.” 

Several appeals have requested better protection against harmful effects from RF radiation due to known risks for human beings and the environment. The 5G appeal asked for a moratorium of 5G deployment already in 2017 (www.5gappeal.eu), see also (www.emfcall.org, www.emfscientist.org). These appeals are to date largely ignored by the responsible governmental agencies, politicians and the telecom industry.

It is clear from measurements made so far that the implementation of 5G has indeed caused a massive increase in human and environmental exposure to pulse-modulated RF radiation. (bracketed numbers refer to internal references, [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8]).

Limits for maximum exposure:

Most countries use extremely high and outdated guidelines by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) for maximum allowed exposure to RF radiation. The first guidelines were published in 1998 [9], and were updated in 2020 [10]. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted similar maximum limits set by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

…ICNIRP’s limits are based only on heating (thermal) effects from RF radiation that appear when the RF radiation is so intense that it causes acute thermal effects within an hour. For chronic full body exposure to 5G at 3.5 GHz the ICNIRP limit is 10,000,000 μW/m² averaged over 6 min [9], or 30 min [10]. The ICNIRP thermal-based limits do not protect against any effect caused by non-thermal acute or chronic exposure in spite of growing evidence for such effects. Therefore, the ICNIRP and the FCC limits are criticized for their inability to protect against a long range of known health effects based on substantial and increasing scientific evidence [13], [14], [15]. In fact, RF radiation was already in 2011 evaluated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at WHO to be a possible human carcinogen, Group 2B [16, 17]. In spite of further evidence of the carcinogenicity indicating that RF radiation now may be classified as a human carcinogen Group 1 [18], a new evaluation has not been made by IARC…

The Microwave Syndrome:

Microwaves are frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz within the radiofrequency spectrum and it is within the microwave frequency range that the 5G and previous generations of mobile phone technology carrier waves operate. Evidence of negative health effects from RF/microwave radiation were published already in the 1960s and 1970s in Eastern European countries in studies of exposed workers [19], [20], [21]. Common symptoms were headache, fatigue, concentration difficulty, insomnia, emotional distress, irritability, dysesthesia, skin lesions including burning sensation, cardiac and lung symptoms. These are included in the microwave syndrome or illness that comprises a variety of clinical and physical symptoms. It was observed that in general women appeared to be more sensitive than men and that the individual sensitivity varied.

A review of these studies, as well as studies on animals, concluded that “a surprisingly wide variety of neurological and physiological reactions are to be expected” because of exposure to non-thermal levels of RF/microwave radiation [19].

Other term for the illness was radiofrequency sickness syndrome [22]. The non-thermal effects depend primarily on the modulation and/or pulsation of the signal and also on the peak and average intensity. Pulsed signals and simultaneous exposure to several frequencies caused more effects and were thus considered more hazardous. The observed effects increased with longer time of exposure [20]. Today the population is exposed simultaneously to a multitude of frequencies from various wireless technologies. The signals are pulsed and modulated and the exposure is chronic.

It was also observed that, in general, the symptoms declined after the exposure had ceased. According to Marha et al. (see page 31) “at a certain time after exposure had ended (sometimes as long as several weeks or more), the organism usually returns to its original physiological state and all subjective and objective complaints vanish” [21].

The results of these early observations have been confirmed during the last two decades in investigations on health effects among inhabitants near mobile phone masts or base stations. Some of these recent studies have investigated prevalence of symptoms identified within the microwave syndrome, others have investigated other outcomes such as cancer or effects on biochemical parameters, for instance hormones or indications of genetic damage [23]. One study from France has studied frequency of ALS [24]. According to a review in 2022 of most of these studies, 17 of 23 studies showed evidence for radiofrequency sickness or the microwave syndrome, 10 of 13 reported increased cancer risks and six of eight studies found changes in biochemical markers among people living in the vicinity of masts or base stations [23].

5G studies so far:

The literature is sparse on health effects caused by exposure to 5G radiation. So far, according to our knowledge, no long-term effects have been studied and there are only a few short-term animal studies and one human laboratory study. None of the laboratory studies have used exposure corresponding to real life 5G exposure [25], [26], [27], [28], [29].

There were at the start of the roll-out of 5G no studies available on biological effects on humans from exposure to the 5G frequencies around 3.5 GHz.

Thus, no study had investigated exposure similar to that encountered by millions of people now exposed to radiation from 5G antennas in combination with 4G technology.

A few animal studies have investigated effects on animals after exposure to 3.5 GHz RF radiation at levels below the ICNIRP limits. Studies exposing animals to the 3.5 GHz frequency (not real-life 5G signals) have found negative effects such as oxidative stress in the liver, kidneys, the plasma, degenerated neurons in the brain as well as oxidative stress in muscles and negative effects on bone strength. Further, modified behavior after fetal exposure has been reported [25], [26], [27], [28].

Human laboratory studies:

A study published in September 2023, investigating effects on human brain waves, exposed 34 healthy young volunteers to GSM pulse-modulated 3.5 GHz at a mean level between 1.5 and 2 V/m or up to 10,610 μW/m² during only 26 min. The estimated peak power density (PD) was calculated to 680,000 μW/m². The authors reported “an overall non-significant difference in beta, alpha, theta, and delta brain oscillations relative to 5G exposure. However, a few electrodes in the baseline-corrected exposure and post-exposure periods exhibited significant modulation corresponding to the eye condition only in the alpha, theta, and delta rhythms, which did not survive the posterior statistical correction.” [29].

Some changes in human brain waves were thus observed. However, the signal was GSM modulated and consequently not representative of real 5G exposure. The exposure lasted only 26 min and was thus not representative for effects of chronic real-life exposure. In addition, real life exposure includes simultaneous exposure to several other signals, for instance to 4G.

Case studies of human real life 5G exposure:

We have previously published seven case reports on health effects in humans exposed to 5G RF radiation [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]. The studies were performed during 2021–2023 and investigated health effects previously described to be associated with exposure to RF radiation among a total of 16 persons. Measurements of RF radiation were also made.

Aim of this study:

The aim of this study was to make a summary of our seven case reports [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]. One purpose was to investigate the severity, and any pattern of different diseases/symptoms based on the total material…

For the remainder of the paper, including the materials, methods, results, discussion and conclusion sections, refer to the above link.

Conclusion:

It should be unnecessary to mention that the benefit/risk ratio of EMR related technologies such as smart phones, TV’s and other such devices is so low/poor that they should not be used. The precautionary principle² should have prevented them from being widely adopted/distributed. The evidence that EMR is hazardous to the health of humans has been available for over 50 years.³ With each increasing generation/iteration, the negative effects have multiplied. Every person of good will should strongly consider ridding themselves of these devices irrespective of the inconvenience involved.

1. In that essay is a reference to: The 5G and Effects on Mice, Rats and Humans. Ten New Studies. By Dr. William Makis, Global Research, March 21, 2024. The ten studies are listed there with summaries of each and a link to the original publications.

2. “The precautionary principle (or precautionary approach) is a broad epistemological, philosophical and legal approach to innovations with potential for causing harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking. It emphasizes caution, pausing and review before leaping into new innovations that may prove disastrous…”

3. Defense Intelligence Agency, Biological Effects from 1975; Wi-Fi is an important threat to human health; Also see: Electromagnetic Warfare: History and Dangers by David A. Hughes and Disrupted Immune Function from Exposure to Low-Intensity Non-Ionizing Radiation (Radiofrequency Radiation). Also see: Microwave Radiation (RFR) Mechanisms of Harm: (Tsiang and Havas, 2021) and Recent advances in the effects of microwave radiation on brains. These are only a few examples of what is available for review.