Here, I must ask: why do some governmentsincluding my own, in Brusselsinsist on raising radiation emission limits even more (to 22 V/m and eventually ICNIRP's 61 V/m)? What would this new level of freedom granted to mobile operators mean for the environment and the public? How will billions of new Internet-of-Things wireless devices increase our environment's radiation levels? How do we assess the collateral costs of long-term EMR exposure from multiple sources on large populations? Who will pay for damages?
All figures (from 1.33 to 61 V/m) in this article fall below ICNIRP/WHO recommendations dating from 1998 with no revision! Yet under the WHO's radar lurks a wide spectrum of risks to public health that should not be taken lightly. I urge policymakers to protect the public from invisible yet ever-thickening electro-smog.
Notes
1 S. Aerts, K. Deprez, M. Van den Bossche, D. Colombi, L. Verloock, L. Martens, C. TÃ ¶rnevik, W. Joseph, "In-Situ Assessment of 5G NR Massive MIMO Base Station Exposure in a Commercial Network in Bern, Switzerland", Applied Sciences, April 2021.
2 Beamforming: uses antennas called "massive MIMO:" a massive
number (tens to hundreds) of multiple-input multiple-output antennas
that work together to beam radiation in one specific direction.
Beamforming comes with several benefits. It significantly improves the
energy efficiency of the network, thus allowing more data transfers
using the same amount of energy. Beamforming also unleashes a more
efficient usage of the electromagnetic spectrum by sending beams
simultaneously in different directions using the same frequency.
However, I could never stress enough that energy efficiency will lead to
unbridled electricity consumption, a phenomenon called the "rebound
effect" or "Jevons paradox."
3 Ibid., see also article (in Dutch) with more details.
Max average exposure levels measured (over 30 seconds) in Bern:
Antenna power of max 8.1 W : (measured)
- 0.6 V/m8 at 3.6 GHz (1.3 V/m for all mobile frequencies)
Antenna power of 200 W : (calculated)
- 4.9 V/m at 3.6 GHz (about 5 V/m for all mobile frequencies).
4 At the frequency used by 5G (3.5 GHz), ICNIRP (1998)
recommends 10 W/m2 (watts per square metre) of power density (or 61
V/m), while Bioinitiative (2012) recommends 0,000003 W/m2 (or 0,035 V/m). This is a ratio of 3 million. The Council of Europe (2011) recommends 0,0001 W/m2 (or 0,2 V/m) and the application of the ALARA principle: As Low As Reasonably Achievable.
5 Blake Levitt, Henry Lai, Albert Manville, Effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields on flora and fauna, part 1. Rising ambient EMF levels in the environment, May 2021.
6 Modulation: telecommunications technologies make it
possible to transmit a signal at a distance. This signal is encoded on
the electromagnetic wave called "carrier", thanks to the modulation of
the carrier. Modulation is the change in the characteristics of the wave
(intensity, frequency, phase) over time. The result of the 5G (OFDM
type) modulation is a modulated signal with peaks of power.
7 The Scientific Institute of Public Service ISSeP (Â §3.2.11) in Wallonia (Belgium) points out that LTE (4G) control signals generate pulsations when there is no data traffic.
8 The V/m or "volt per meter" is the unit of measurement for
the strength of the electric field around the antenna at a given
location; W/m2 or "watt per square meter" is the unit of
measurement of the power density which is useful for comparing powers
absorbed by living things. The conversion between the two units is as
follows: power density (W/m2) = intensity2 (V/m) / 377.
Miguel Coma is an engineer in telecommunications and an Information Technology architect. After over two decades of professional activity in various industries, he began to write, speak and consult about our digital environmental footprint. He believes in peoples' potential to use technology wisely and create sustainable progress.
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