Study: Using 5G in rural areas poses potential health hazards

Researchers from the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal) assessed the level of radio frequency exposure of citizens and smartphone owners to 5G base stations. Three scenarios were studied: with the smartphone transmitter turned off, in the mode of transmitting and separately receiving large amounts of data. The measurements were carried out in a city and a village, where the density of radio signals differs. It turned out that 5G in the city is not as scary as in the fresh air.

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The situation with 5G communications was tested in Switzerland, where the new standard has already been introduced throughout the country – the first in the EU. Scientists have tested for the first time a new technique for measuring exposure, which will now be carried out every three years in Europe to assess the environmental impact of cell phone towers. The radiation power is measured by a device (RF exposure meter), which is carried in a backpack behind the back. A smartphone with a sensor and a special application is used separately to monitor the power of the device’s transceiver.

Scientists took readings in factories, offices, schools, public places, parks and transport. During the test, 5G electromagnetic field readings were studied at more than 30 thousand points in two cities (Zurich and Basel) and three villages (Hergiswil, Willisau and Dagmersellen). Cities are more densely packed with 5G base stations, while villages are more sparse.

When the smartphone transmitter is turned off (airplane mode), the radiation mainly comes from the base stations. The researchers found that exposure levels increased with population density. The rural average was 0.17 mW/m2, while the urban average was 0.33 mW/m2 for Basel and 0.48 mW/m2 for Zurich. These are the levels that create a constant radio frequency load on the environment and citizens without a phone in their pocket.

«The highest levels [of radiation] were found in urban business districts and public transport, which [detectable levels] are still more than a hundred times lower than international regulatory values,” the researchers explain.

In the scenario where maximum data download was run (the researcher’s phone was set to download large files), the radiation increased significantly to an average of 6–7 mW/m2. The authors attribute this increase in part to beamforming, a technique associated with 5G base stations that more efficiently directs signals to the user, resulting in higher levels of exposure when downloading data. Exposure was generally higher in the two cities, likely due to more 5G base stations.

Finally, the scenario in which the highest RF field levels were recorded was the data upload scenario where the researcher’s cell phone was set to constantly upload large files. The average radiation exposure was about 16 mW/m2 in cities and almost twice as high in villages (29 mW/m2). In this scenario, the strongest source of radiation was the phone sending data, and exposure was significantly higher in villages due to the lower density of base stations, which reduces signal quality and forces devices to use more energy to send data.

«We must keep in mind that in our study the phone was placed about 30cm away from the measuring device, meaning our results may underestimate actual radiation exposure. A mobile phone user will hold the phone closer to the body and thus exposure to RF EMF may be up to 10 times higher,” the authors warn. 10 times higher in a worst-case scenario means that outdoor transfer of large files would border on and even exceed EU health exposure limits.

«To summarize, this study shows that the environmental impact is lower at low base station densities. However, in such a situation, the radiation from mobile phones is orders of magnitude higher, the researchers summarize. “This has the counterintuitive consequence that the average mobile phone user is more exposed to RF EMF in areas with low base station densities.”