Mobile Phone Technology

With every new generation of mobile phone technology, claims are made that the associated radiation is dangerous. This is no more apparent than with the introduction of 5G.

The electromagnetic spectrum ranges from radio waves and mobile technology to microwaves, visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma waves, increasing in frequency. As frequency increases, so does the energy of a 'photon'. Higher frequencies have more energy and can cause more damage. The spectrum can be divided into ionising and non-ionising radiation. Ionising radiation (ultraviolet, X-rays and beyond) has the potential to alter cells and cause cancer. However, waves of lower frequencies do not. At most, they can add a little heat to the exposed area. Therefore, due to their frequency being lower than that of light, mobile phone communications are less dangerous than exposure to visible light and not as dangerous as exposure to ultraviolet light. There are no health issues associated with the radiation frequencies used in mobile phone technology.

Another issue with waves of a given frequency is that the greater the energy of the wave, the greater the damage it can cause. With a TV mast, which uses similar frequencies to 5G, more power is transmitted from the source to send the signal further. This is not the case with mobile phone technology. Increasing cell strength increases cell size, thus reducing the network's overall capacity. In particular, small cells are used for 5G to increase capacity, and to achieve this, the broadcast power is reduced. Similarly, to preserve battery life, a mobile phone will communicate with the base station using the lowest possible power. Therefore, mobile phone technology reduces the transmission power to the lowest possible level.

Therefore, by these two criteria (1) lower frequency than ionising radiation and (2) low power, mobile phone communications in general and 5G in particular are safe technologies.

Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has been monitoring radiation from mobile phone technology since 2003. Their latest study of 5G shows that radiation levels are 0.039% of safe levels — essentially insignificant. Interestingly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies the risks of many things. They categorise the risk from mobile phone radiation as 'possible carcinogenic', placing it on a par with pickled vegetables and talcum powder, and lower than processed food and alcohol.

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