Alternative view offered by Stop 5G Gorey group
SINCE September, Stop 5G Gorey have led a local campaign which seeks to share concerns and research about the technology 5G.
The group set up a petition against the roll out of 5G in county Wexford and so far it has reached over 260 signatures online and the group have asked those concerned to lobby local councillors.
On Monday next, Councillor Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin will present a motion to Wexford County Council on the matter which asks the Council to vote to stop the roll out with immediate effect, and invoke a ‘precautionary principle’ in relation to this.
Silvia Henrich, holistic therapist at Gorey’s Luminos Institute, said that so far the group have been met with very little opposition.
‘By in large people are behind the movement to stop 5G because they are worried for a lot of different reasons. They worry about the cost of 5G, the impact on the natural environment, our energy resources as well as health and safety. We know that most businesses want 5G for economic reasons, but with 5G we will have no opportunity to remove ourselves and turn it off.
‘In the clinic I see children and adults that are sensitive to or affected by electro magnetic frequencies (EMF), and their wellbeing can be changed by differing radio frequencies or turning off the wifi. Our concern is that this won’t be possible with 5G,’ she said.
In August, Vodafone launched 5G in five Irish cities while in October, Eir expended this to some large towns as well as cities, with
Wexford being listed as a location for additional roll out for the end of this year.
During the launches, statements were realised saying that 5G is designed to comply fully with existing international EMF exposure guidelines, regularly reviewed by independent public health authorities and expert groups including the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), reflecting decades of research.
In 2011, the ICNIRP said that although there remains some uncertainty, evidence is increasingly against the hypothesis that mobile phone use can cause brain tumours in adults and in 2006, the WHO said that the only health effect identified in scientifically has related to an increase in body temperature, but that the levels of exposure from base stations and wireless networks are so low that the temperature increases are insignificant and do not affect human health.
Given this, Martin Byrne who is a concerned parent within Stop 5G Gorey, said that the group have a battle on their hands.
‘People can put labels on us, but I’m trying to educate people and I’m doing it for my children. We are trying to speak out for those with no voices, such as insects and plant life.
‘I’m also concerned for the affect this could have on tourism and the value of houses if large 5G masts are put up. We feel the guidelines being used are outdated, and industries like bee keepers, farmers and pigeon fanciers will be affected,’ he said.
Silvia Henrich agreed on the need for further independent research.
‘My advice is always to limit exposure as much as you can, we don’t have all the answers but it appears that nobody else does either. To those with counter arguments, we say be informed. The research isn’t available on the long term affects of this technology, but if it pans out that after studies it is completely harmless, than absolutely why not have 5G, but until that has been shown to be the case take the argument and revisit some of the things you deem to be factual.
‘We already have two, three and four G, it’s like a river which was clean and safe for fish that becomes toxic over time when these frequencies are layered over each other, it may not be compatible with human life’.
Cllr Ó’Súilleabháin expressed fear that the move to 5G is not a small step up from 2,3 or 4G.
‘5G was practically unheard of a year ago but it’s a complete different dimension to implement the smart economy. We are going to have a society that’s turned on all the time, which will have to affect our saturation levels.
‘We already have massive incidents of cancer in the Gorey area, and we don’t want anything that could potentially add to it’.
Cllr Ó’Súilleabháin said the campaign of Stop 5G Gorey will continue even if his motion does not pass.
‘This goes way beyond councillors but we would hope that councillors will have an open mind. We’re not against progress or anti-technology in any way, all we ask that these genuinely held concerns are heard. Everyone wants faster mobile and broadband speeds, but at what price,’ he concluded.