What Is 5G Technology?

5G refers to the fifth generation of mobile network technology, designed to succeed the 4G LTE networks in widespread use. This next-generation infrastructure is intended to support the Internet of Things (IoT), connecting billions of devices through faster speeds and lower latency. Networks combine multiple frequency bands and modulation techniques, including millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum above 24 GHz alongside existing 4G small cell infrastructure.

While telecom companies have marketed 5G as a revolutionary advancement, a growing number of researchers and medical professionals have raised questions about potential biological effects that remain insufficiently studied.

Scientific Concerns About Radiofrequency Radiation

More than 240 scientists and physicians from 41 countries who have published peer-reviewed research on electromagnetic fields signed an appeal to the United Nations calling for stronger exposure guidelines. Separately, researchers petitioned the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requesting a moratorium on 5G deployment until health effects could be properly evaluated.

Although U.S. government agencies such as the CDC and EPA have generally characterized current exposure levels as safe, critics point out that existing safety standards were established decades ago and were based primarily on thermal (heating) effects rather than non-thermal biological interactions.

Millimeter Wave Research and Human Skin

Research from the Dielectric Spectroscopy Laboratory at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Dr. Yuri Feldman, has investigated how millimeter and submillimeter waves interact with human skin. Their findings suggest that the coiled structure of human sweat ducts may function similarly to helical antennas at sub-terahertz frequencies, potentially leading to preferential absorption in the skin’s upper layers.

The human body contains between two and four million sweat ducts, and the researchers found that electromagnetic reflectance from skin in the sub-THz range correlates with perspiration intensity and stress levels. A 2018 study by Betzalel, Ben Ishai, and Feldman published in Environmental Research reported that the presence of sweat ducts led to elevated specific absorption rates (SAR) in extremely high frequency bands.

Nasim and Kim (2017), in a paper submitted to the IEEE International Communications Conference, found that 5G downlink radiofrequency fields generated significantly higher power density and SAR compared to existing cellular systems.

Military Applications of Similar Frequencies

It is worth noting that millimeter wave frequencies have been developed for military crowd-control applications. The U.S. Army’s Active Denial System uses directed millimeter wave energy to create an intense burning sensation on the skin, causing targets to reflexively move away from the beam. According to the Department of Defense, the sensation dissipates once a person exits the beam’s path. Dr. Paul Ben-Ishai has referenced this military research in the context of civilian 5G deployment concerns.

Exposure Limit Classification Debate

Dr. Dariusz Leszczynski, Chief Editor of Radiation and Health, raised concerns about how the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) was developing exposure guidelines for higher frequencies. He warned that if all skin were classified as belonging to “extremities” rather than the head or torso, it could be subjected to substantially higher permissible radiation levels.

In the United States, the term “extremities” in wireless radiation guidelines specifically refers to wrists, hands, ankles, feet, and ears. Reclassifying all skin under this category would effectively raise the allowable exposure thresholds across the entire body surface.

Absence of Long-Term Safety Data

5G technology was developed and began deployment without completed long-term studies evaluating health effects from chronic exposure to these frequency ranges. Ron Melnick, a retired National Institutes of Health scientist who designed the National Toxicology Program’s study on cellphone radiofrequency radiation, stated there was “an urgent need to evaluate 5G health effects now before millions are exposed,” specifically citing unknown risks for skin diseases including melanoma.

Dr. Cindy Russell, writing in the Santa Clara Medical Association Bulletin, detailed documented biological effects associated with radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, including arrhythmias, heart rate variability changes, bacterial and antibiotic resistance effects, immune system impacts, chromatin changes, teratogenic effects, altered gene expression, and cataracts.

Precautionary Recommendations From Researchers

Multiple scientific bodies and individual researchers have called for precautionary measures, including:

• Halting 5G rollout pending completion of pre-market health effect studies
• Reevaluating safety standards based on both long-term and short-term biological effect research
• Reconsidering provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Section 704) that preempt local governments from regulating wireless facility placement based on environmental effects
• Revisiting portions of the 2012 Spectrum Act that limit municipal authority over cellular equipment deployment
• Establishing an independent, multidisciplinary scientific agency to develop safety regulations with public input
• Requiring EMF information labeling on devices with appropriate precautionary warnings

Regulatory Capture and Industry Influence

The Harvard University Press publication Captured Agency by Norm Alster documented financial relationships between the telecommunications industry and the FCC, arguing that the wireless sector has acquired disproportionate influence over the regulatory body responsible for overseeing it. Independent analyses have also found that industry-funded research on radiofrequency radiation can be influenced by its funding sources.

In July 2016, the FCC voted to approve its Spectrum Frontiers initiative, making the United States the first country to open higher-frequency millimeter wave spectrum for commercial 5G development. The decision drew substantial public comment, with numerous submissions from scientists, physicians, and advocacy organizations urging caution.

Key Published Research

Several peer-reviewed studies have contributed to the scientific discussion around millimeter wave biological effects:

• Russell CL (2018), “5G wireless telecommunications expansion: Public health and environmental implications,” Environmental Research
• Betzalel N, Ben Ishai P, Feldman Y (2018), “The human skin as a sub-THz receiver,” Environmental Research, 163:208-216
• Di Ciaula A (2018), “Towards 5G communication systems: Are there health implications?” International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
• Feldman Y et al. (2008), “Human skin as arrays of helical antennas in the millimeter and submillimeter wave range,” Physical Review Letters, 100(12)
• Tripathi et al. (2018), “Frequency of the resonance of the human sweat duct in a normal mode of operation,” Biomedical Optics Express, 9(3)
• Gandhi OP, Riazi A (1986), “Absorption of millimeter waves by human beings and its biological implications,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 34(2):228-235
• Soghomonyan D et al. (2016), “Millimeter waves or extremely high frequency electromagnetic fields in the environment: what are their effects on bacteria?” Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 100(11):4761-71

As Russell concluded in her 2018 paper: “Current radiofrequency radiation wavelengths we are exposed to appear to act as a toxin to biological systems. A moratorium on the deployment of 5G is warranted, along with development of independent health and environmental advisory boards that include independent scientists who research biological effects and exposure levels of radiofrequency radiation.”