HOW SAFE IS 5G?

5Guses higher frequencies that are new to mobile phone networks, but are commonly used in other applications such as point-to-point radio links and body scanners for security checks. At these higher frequencies, 5G networks will use a greater number of base stations and of connected objects, which has triggered safety concerns. In January, several airlines cancelled their flights to the US as AT&T and Verizon announced their 5G rollout, fearing that the 5G waves could interfere with instruments such as the altimeters that tell pilots how far they are from the ground.

One worry is that, since 5G is new, there has not been enough time to properly test whether it’s safe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), after conducting much research, no adverse health effect has been linked with exposure to wireless technologies. Health-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum but, so far, only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G, it said. “Tissue heating is the main mechanism of interaction between radio frequency fields and the human body. Radio frequency exposure levels from current technologies result in negligible temperature rise in the human body,” says a WHO report.

In June, a single bench of the Delhi High Court dismissed a suit filed by actor Juhi Chawla highlighting what she felt were the adverse effects of 5G. The court imposed a penalty of Rs 20 lakh on her “for wastage of judicial time” but later, a division bench lowered the penalty to Rs 2 lakh and expunged the adverse observations against her.