Occasionally the MSM surprises me. A refreshingly subjective bit of reporting on the dangers of the impending 5G rollout and EMF in general. And equally refreshing to give Stuff.co.nz a nod instead of a butt-kicking:). Better late than never; let’s hope they don’t follow up with a whitewash. MH
Calls for review of 5G technology amid health concerns
Ripu Bhatia 13:03, May 14 2019
The potential harm of radio frequency emissions on human health is a critical issue, Waiheke Local Board chairwoman Cath Handley says.
The latest cellular network technology 5G could pose a risk to people’s health, critics say.
Waiheke Local Board chairwoman Cath Handley has written to Auckland Council’s environment and community committee calling for an independent safety assessment of the fifth-generation service.
“The board’s request is that a precautionary approach should be adopted until evidence of effects is fully documented and well understood,’ she wrote.
“As the largest and most densely populated city in the country, Auckland should take a leadership role in ensuring the safety of the proposed network.”
Mobile company Spark plans to roll out 5G across the country in mid-2020.
University of Auckland psychology professor Susan Pockett said radio frequency emissions were linked to many health problems.
“Approximately 600 peer-reviewed research reports from a range of international scientists show us that radio frequency radiation is linked to infertility, diabetes, various kinds of cancer and psychiatric disorders,” she said.
“The present situation is already bad and adding 5G on top of it will hugely increase the amount of radiation to which everyone is exposed and make the whole situation much worse.”
A 2018 article by Pockett in the New Zealand Medical Journal said evidence existed that radio frequency emissions at some intensities could impact people’s health.
“The biological effects of radio frequency emissions are clearly complicated, but there is no longer any reasonable doubt that under some circumstances, levels common in the present environment do have harmful biological effects.”
The paper concluded until more was known about the effects, a “precautionary approach” in the rollout of cellphone and WiFi technology was justified.
Overseas, more than 200 scientists have written to the United Nations and the World Health Organization expressing concerns about potential health risks from the technology.