Group questions safety of 5G wireless

Posted at 11:20 a.m. on May 20, 2019

The Brillion News

GREENDALE — A group called Wisconsin For Safe Technology (WFST) participated in the 5G National Day of Action in opposition to the 5G rollout last week in Greendale, a Milwaukee suburb.

They asked the wireless companies (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, U.S. Cellular and T-Mobile) and their sub-contractors and antenna installers to suspend the deployment of 5G-enabled small cell wireless antennas near places where people live, work and play until such time as chronic, low-level exposure to radio-frequency (RF) microwave radiation (wireless radiation) can be proven safe for everyone.

WFST said this is particularly relevant and concerning because Wisconsin legislators are currently proposing bills—LRB 3278 and LRB 1451 “Small Cell Legislation”—to force 5G connectivity on communities throughout Wisconsin by taking away any remaining local authority to protect the health, safety, privacy and security of Wisconsin citizens.

The groups said the powerful cellular antennas being installed throughout neighborhoods on utility and light poles in close proximity to homes and apartments, with no assurance that the constant wireless radiation they emit is safe.

They claim exposure guidelines are old and the FCC is ignoring the published, peer-reviewed science proving that wireless radiation causes biological harm such as cancer, DNA damage, reproductive, cognitive and neurological harm, microwave sickness, among others. The American Academy of Pediatrics asked the FCC to reassess exposure guidelines for children, but nothing has been done. See https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/all-around/Pages/Cell-Phone-Radiation-Childrens-Health.aspx

WFST said there is a simple solution: legislators should support fiber optic all the way to the premises, including homes, apartments, schools and workplaces. It is faster, safer, more reliable, energy efficient, and secure.

An international coalition of scientists is also calling for tighter controls on 5G. Their statement may be found at https://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/Scientist-5G-appeal-2017.pdf

~ Sources: WFST, American Academy of Pediatrics