ICT
Brussels joins Switzerland, halt rollout of 5G over health concerns
Brussels, capital of Belgium has joined Switzerland in putting on hold the rollout of superfast 5G network due to health concerns and the fact that scientists are yet to prove that it doesn’t cause cancer.
The move comes amidst campaign by some environment groups that the network present an increased in cancer risk.
They contend that the new network generates radiofrequency radiation that can damage DNA and lead to cancer; cause oxidative damage that can cause premature aging; disrupt cell metabolism; and potentially lead to other diseases through the generation of stress proteins.
Switzerland, one of the world’s leaders in the rollout of 5G mobile technology, had earlier in February placed an indefinite moratorium on the use of its new network because of health concerns.
The wealthy alpine country has built more than 2,000 antennas to upgrade its network in the last year alone, and its telecoms providers have been promising their customers’ imminent 5G coverage for most of the past year.
The Swiss Medical Association has advised caution on 5G, arguing that the most stringent legal principles should be applied because of unanswered questions about the technology’s potential to cause damage to the nervous system, or even cancers.
Olivier Galand is campaigning against the use of 5G in Brussels. He’s been asking places like pharmacies to display his campaign posters.
According to Olivier Galand, a leading campaigner against the use of 5G in Brussels, the waves used for 5G are a higher frequency to carry more data.
“The particularity of 5G is that its ability to penetrate buildings decreases, so we will end up with antennas on every 12th house. This is quite worrying for us – many scientists, paediatricians, and doctors have highlighted potential risks associated with it.”
“To make phones, to make all the parts, we have to use rare materials which are extracted in developing countries by people who work in terrible conditions. We’re seeing children in Congo working in atrocious places to get the substances for our phones.”
Meanwhile experts have argued that there is no evidence that antenna radiation within the limit values adversely affects human health.
According to Swisscom, the country’s largest mobile operator, 5G is run on frequencies similar to the current 4G standard, which has been subject to “several thousand studies.”
The World Health Organization, meanwhile, classified radio frequency radiation as a “possible carcinogenic”. That puts it in the same category as pickled vegetables or talcum powder but not as dangerous as alcohol or processed meat.