> *5G confusion - clarification one step at a time* > > Mary Redmayne, PhD, Gisborne Herald, Jul 25, 2020 > > Opinion Piece > > What a polarising topic 5G has become. This is unsurprising since the > information we hear varies greatly from government, telcos, and scientists > (industry-funded and independent), through to conspiracy theorists. > > Today, I will address just one recent statement from our Ministry of > Health: “exposures to 5G signals are similar to, or lower than, those from > existing cellsites, and (are) small fractions of the public limit in the > standard”. > > The statement is misleading, and the topic is complex. Let me explain. The > last part of the MoH statement claims that measured 5G exposures “[are] > small fractions of the public limit in the standard [2772.1-1999].” This > assumes the standard provides safety. Actually, it only seeks “minimal > levels of radio-frequency absorption” and to minimise the chance of burns > and shocks over short periods. > > It clearly does not minimise absorption as a more stringent standard would > reduce the permitted maximum. Preventing burns/shocks is insufficient to > assure health is intact. Many biological effects occur from “small > fractions of the public limit”. Some of these are known precursors to > serious diseases. > > Now to 5G. Once fully functioning, 5G signals will be different from 2G, > 3G and 4G transmissions in key ways. Currently these differences may not > apply. Here are some key differences: > > 1. 5G will transmit power in narrow, high-power beams. Our exposure > standard evaluates average exposures. The average may be lower than > 2G/3G/4G because the 5G component will only transmit when being used. But > during use, the energy in the beams will be high. The beams will interact > with people/animals/trees. This is the first time these beams have been > intended for public devices used against the body. Increased use, even 5G > device ownership, will mean increased exposure. > > How energy is delivered makes a difference. For instance, if the energy > used in patting a baby to sleep over 30 minutes were delivered in one blow, > the outcome could be ghastly. In this analogy, the sustained patting > represents averaged radio-frequency exposure; the one blow represents the > focused beam. > > 2. If a transmitting phone is used/stored against the head or body, > research indicates that permitted 5G exposures could cause burns. Although > the Resource Management Act regulations do not permit exceeding public > limits, it seems exposure could cause burns within those limits. This, and > other research, demonstrates there are RMA “effects” from phone exposures, > so the RMA is not in line with the exposure standard. > > 3. The user will be exposed to 5G beams when the phone is receiving and > sending information. Current phones increase exposure only when sending. > > 4. Private phones may be used to support telco infrastructure to re-direct > others' wireless traffic when there are insufficient public transmitters, > further increasing personal exposures. > > 5. Most 5G energy is expected to be absorbed in the top layers of the > skin, deep enough to impact on peripheral blood vessels. This does not seem > to have been tested or considered. > > Recently, I attended a hearing of Parliament's Regulations Review > Committee as an expert witness for the NZ Outdoors Party. It had brought a > complaint relevant to 5G and our exposure standard. Subsequently, I > submitted supplementary evidence responding to the main question the > committee had asked to be addressed. Briefly, this was whether NZ's > radio-frequency exposure standard complies with the Resource Management Act > 1991. There is strong evidence that it does not. > > Additionally, our standard which is based on the 1998 ICNIRP Guidelines is > not suitable for fully-functional 5G, and the revised ICNIRP Guidelines may > also not be intrinsically safe. For instance, they allow 5C increases in > temperature in some organs, including the cornea of the eye, but this is a > topic for another article. > > ■ Mary Redmayne is an adjunct research fellow at Victoria University of > Wellington. She is an independent researcher, consultant and educator in > environmental health (transmitting technology). > > Mary adds: I do not and have not received any funding from the telco > industry nor from the NZ Outdoors Party, nor, currently, from the > universities with which I am affiliated. My supplementary evidence can be > read here, along with my credentials: > > https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mary_Redmayne2/research > <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mary_Redmayne2> > > The hearing can be viewed here > https://vimeo.com/event/86156/videos/425380738 > > ■ See also the letter by Susan Pockett (MSc, PhD) and Robin Kelly > (FRNZCGP). and the MoH response, here > <http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/letter/20200725/rma-only-breached-closer-than-5-5m-to-a-5g-access-point/> > . > > http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/okategoriserade/20200725/5g-confusion-clarification-one-step-at-a-time/ > > -- > > *RMA only breached closer than 5.5m to a 5G access point * > > Susan Pockett (MSc, PhD) and Robin Kelly (FRNZCGP), Gisborne Herald, July > 25, 2020 > > Letter > > The Ministry of Health's reply to our letter of July 4 ignores most of the > points we make and concentrates on saying “With regard to the data > presented by your correspondents, the graph showing SAR appears to be based > on a misunderstanding of the relevant limits.” And indeed, page 43 of the > thesis referred to in our letter shows that the ICNIRP guidelines on which > NZ's SAR limits are based are slightly higher than the FCC's — our > (ICNIRP's) limit is 2W/kg, while America's (FCC's) is only 1.6W/kg. Thus, > moving the blue line in the SAR graph up to 2W/kg shows that NZ's Resource > Management Act will only be breached closer than 5.5m to a 5G access point, > not 6m. > > We invite the MoH to tell your readers (a) the distances from the > cellsites at which their “actual measurements near operating 5G cellsites” > were made, and (b) whether or not these measurements were made within the > directed beam of radiation from the antenna to a device actively > communicating with the antenna. 5G uses beam-forming technology. > > If the answer to (b) is no, such measurements would be as meaningless as > measurements of machine gun power made from behind the gun. > > The NZ MoH says “The New Zealand exposure standard's limits are > recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation > Protection (ICNIRP)”. > > ICNIRP is a small, self-selected NGO based in Germany. It and its parent > organisation the World Health Organisation choose to ignore or dismiss the > now vast volume of evidence disproving their claim that microwaves are > harmless at intensities too low to heat tissue. We don't have to follow > them. > > It is time for New Zealand to uphold the proud tradition of independence > that made us nuclear-free. We need to reject the biased testimony of the > 20-odd “experts” in the world who agree with ICNIRP and listen to the > hundreds of doctors and scientists who collectively have published > thousands of research papers on the many biological harms caused by > sub-thermal microwaves. > > Susan Pockett (MSc, PhD) and Robin Kelly (FRNZCGP). > > *Response from NZ Ministry of Health* > > *There is a variety of ongoing research into the possible health effects > of radiofrequency fields. Many reviews of the research in this area have > been published over the past few years. These reviews conclude that, > overall, the results show that exposures which comply with current limits > do not cause health effects.* > > *Reviews of the research on radiofrequency fields and health carried out > by national and international health and scientific bodies can be found on > the Ministry of Health website (health.govt.nz <http://health.govt.nz>) by > searching “research non-ionising radiation”.* > > *The Ministry welcomes further research in this area.* > > *The data presented in the document your correspondents supplied with > their previous letter refers to exposures from a 5G transmitter operating > at 28GHz, and the upper graph claimed to show specific absorption rate > (SAR) data and compared this with the FCC limit. However, neither the FCC > nor ICNIRP applies limits in terms of SAR at frequencies of 28GHz so this > graph, purporting to show that 5G exposures are far higher than from 4G > transmitters, and exceeding the FCC limits at distances up to 6m from the > transmitter, has no meaning.* > > *We stand by our statement that “exposures to 5G signals are similar to, > or lower than, those from existing cellsites”. This is supported by the > second graph in the document.* > > *Research in this area is complex and we are also keen to clarify another > basic misunderstanding from this document. The claim (page 40) that “it is > noteworthy to mention that FCC or ICNIRP do not have an exposure guideline > for SAR in terms of far-field based on a belief that SAR is not effective > to be considered in a far-field scenario” is incorrect. At the frequencies > where SAR limits are specified by ICNIRP and the FCC they apply in both the > near and far-field regions, and in fact form the fundamental exposure > limits for both organisations in both regions.* > > *The measurements made near operating cellsites in New Zealand were > recorded at distances ranging from 30 to 130 metres from the sites. Most > were made at or near locations accessible to the public close to the sites, > where the highest exposures would be expected. Certainly, exposures within > a few metres of these sites would have exceeded the public limits, as is > the case with almost all sites, whatever technology they use. (The > exception is low-power sites, such as so-called “small cells”, that are > designed to cover more limited areas and for which the exposures are > correspondingly lower.)* > > *As stated previously, regulations under the Resource Management Act would > not permit cellsites that produce exposures in public areas that exceed the > public limits.* > > *Ministry of Health Spokesperson* > > *Footnote from Ed:* The Gisborne Herald has been advised that this is > primarily a response to the letter above, however, the MoH also had Mary > Redmayne’s column > <http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/okategoriserade/20200725/5g-confusion-clarification-one-step-at-a-time/> > made available to it for response. > > http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/letter/20200725/rma-only-breached-closer-than-5-5m-to-a-5g-access-point/ > > -- > > Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director > Center for Family and Community Health > School of Public Health > University of California, Berkeley > > *Electromagnetic Radiation Safety* > > Website: https://www.saferemr.com > Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ > <https://www.facebook.com/SaferEMR>SaferEMR > <http://www.facebook.com/SaferEMR> > Twitter: @berkeleyprc > > >
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