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A crew from Verizon installs 5G telecommunications equipment on a tower in Orem, Utah, on December 3, 2019. Conspiracy theories around the health effects of 5G frequencies have inspired fear among some people despite the lack of evidence those effects exist. Photo: Reuters
OpinionLetters

Letters | 5G health effect claims not backed by science or common sense

5G
Letters
Letters
Why you can trust SCMP
I am writing in response to the article “Do 5G towers pose a health risk?” (October 2). Some people are concerned about the health impact of fifth-generation mobile networks and masts. However, I think this is an overreaction.

One of the main concerns is that the frequency used in 5G is much higher than the previous 4G network. The concern is that the higher frequency will do harm by destroying cells in our body which may lead to cancer and other radiation-related diseases.

While 5G does use a much higher frequency than 4G, it is still very low compared to the frequency of common signals we receive every day. For example, visible light has frequencies that are 100,000 times higher than 5G. If 5G could kill us, visible light should have killed us a long time ago. What are truly harmful are sources with high frequencies such as ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma rays.

Some may disagree with the harmlessness of low frequency. They may say that microwaves are able to cook for us with even low frequency. Therefore, they use it as an example to point out the harm of 5G frequency as they are of similar levels.

However, what makes microwaves cook is the high power the oven uses. Most microwave ovens use at least 600 watts of power to run. It is the high power that causes the harm, not the frequency.

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China says it built 130,000 5G base stations as of the end of 2019

China says it built 130,000 5G base stations as of the end of 2019

Imagine frequency as the size of a rock and power as the speed of the rock being thrown towards you. 5G is like someone using a bullet to touch your skin lightly while a microwave is like someone shooting a bullet at you with a pistol. It is easy to see how big the difference is.

5G is an uplifting technology. It enables a wide array of new technology including safe self-driving vehicles, streaming video, gaming and more. It can also provide us with a much more satisfying internet experience. However, it is regrettable that rumours about 5G have frightened some people into attempting to destroy several 5G towers, and inspired attacks and even murder threats against telecoms engineers.

I hope that accurate information will help dispel the rumours about 5G and provide us the technology that we need to progress.

Jacky Sit, Tseung Kwan O

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