Top 20 Facts On 5G

1. 5G “small” cell antennas are to be placed in neighborhoods everywhere. 

• Street lights
• Trashcans
• Utility poles
• Bus stops
• Sides of buildings

2. The radiation from small cells is not small.

Wireless antennas emit microwaves — non-ionizing radiofrequency radiation — and essentially function as cell towers. Each installation can have over a thousand antennas that are transmitting simultaneously. Examples of how small cells are not small include:  

• They increase electromagnetic radiation near homes.
• They have refrigerator-sized (and larger) equipment cabinets.
• Property values drop after a cell tower is built near homes.
• Taller and wider poles are needed for the antennas.
• Fixtures weigh hundreds of pounds.

Each so called “small” cell installation has antennas on the top and electronics cabinets  at the bottom. The electronics are housed in metal boxes – called “street furniture” by industry to make it sound warm and cozy. These cabinets  can be larger than a refrigerator, so large people could fit into them. In addition, there will be various radio units, a smart meter, and potentially unseemly wires.  

These large ugly installations are being built on cities nationwide.  Yet at the same time industry is stating contradictory things. They say the installations are small as in the video below by Samsung engineer. In this video he shares the almost pizza box sized 5G equipment cabinet. So the question is: Why are ugly 20 cubic feet installations being installed in people’s front yards when one only needs this tiny box?

If the installations are so small then why aren’e communities getting the small boxes?

3. Millions of small cells are to be built in front yards in the name of 5G.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) estimates and is supporting that millions of these wireless transmitters will be built in our rights-of-way, directly in front of our homes.

4. 5G will add an extra layer  — not replace — our current wireless technology.

5G will utilize current 3G and 4G wireless frequencies already in use and also add even more radiation. Higher frequency — submillimeter and millimeter waves — will be used in 5G in order to transmit data at superfast speeds.

5. Community authority is being overruled at every level.

Communities are being stripped of their right to make decisions about this new technology. ”Streamlining” means almost automatic approval. Public notice and public hearings are being eliminated. Even if every homeowner on the block opposes the antennas on their street, the opposition will be disregarded with new regulations moving forward at the federal and state level

6. Cell phone companies have confirmed that 5G “small” cell towers do not need to be placed every hundred feet (despite industry statements that densely placed small cells are needed in close vicinity to homes).

Verizon’s CEO, Lowell McAdam stated on camera that 4G and 5G antennas will work from 3,000 feet away on Macro Towers. This statement proves that Verizon DOES NOT need to place 5G small cells in residential areas every 500 to 1,000 feet.

7. Scientists worldwide are calling for a halt to the 5G Roll-out.

Scientists from all over the world have issued a declaration calling for a moratorium on the increase of 5G cell antennas citing human health effects and impacts to wildlife.

“We recommend a moratorium on the roll-out of the fifth generation, 5G, for telecommunication until potential hazards for human health and the environment have been fully investigated by scientists independent from industry…RF-EMF has been proven to be harmful for humans and the environment.”

— The  5G Scientific Appeal (An Appeal signed by more than 250 scientists and doctors from 35 countries)

8. Cumulative daily radiation exposure is associated with serious health effects.

“Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being.” – EMF Scientific Appeal

The public is unaware that peer reviewed, published science indicates that exposures to wireless radiation can cause cancer,  alter brain development and damage sperm. Cell tower radiation is also associated with headaches, hormone changes, memory problems and sleep problems.

9. Scientists state that wireless radiation is a human carcinogen.

Several researchers have published their opinion in multiple papers that cellular radiation- radiofrequency radiation (the type that cell towers emit)  is a human carcinogen based on the current body of science. In 2018, the US National Toxicology Program study peer review scientistsconcluded “clear evidence of cancer” from cellular radiation exposure in the largest US animal study ever done on the issue.

10. Antennas near homes decrease property values.

Studies show property values drop up to 20% on homes near cell towers. Would you buy a home with a mini cell tower in the yard?

11. Experts state that 5G Small Cell Wireless streaming bills do not make financial sense.   

The California Department of Finance rejected California’s 5G small cell wireless  infrastructure bill S. 649 stating that, “Finance opposes this bill… this bill goes too far by usurping city and county zoning authority for infrastructure development, and it potentially imposes reimbursable, state-mandated costs on cities and counties.”

12. Microwave antennas in front yards present several worker and public safety issues.

Unions have already filed comments that workers were injured, unaware they were working near transmitting antennas. How will HVAC workers, window washers, and tree cutters be protected? The heavy large equipment cabinets mounted on poles along our sidewalks also present new hazards. Cars run into utility poles, often, what then? 

13. Fiber is the solution and the safe alternative.

Worldwide, many regions are investing in wired fiber optic connections which are are safer, faster, more reliable, provide greater capacity, and are more cyber-secure. Read “Re-Inventing Wires: The Future of Landlines and Networks,” by the National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy

14. Wireless Companies warn investors of risks but neglect to inform consumers and neighbors living near towers.

Crown Castle (a company building small cell infrastructure throughout the USA) has a statement in their 2016 10-K Annual Report that says: “If radio frequency emissions from wireless handsets or equipment on our wireless infrastructure are demonstrated to cause negative health effects, potential future claims could adversely affect our operations, costs or revenues… We currently do not maintain any significant insurance with respect to these matters.”

15. Antennas near our homes will affect our sleep.

Wireless radiation alters sleep patterns in replicated research in both animals and humans. For example, an animal study found an hour of exposure to RFR caused a one-hour delay for rats to drift into REM or deep sleep. Human studies have found exposure reduces REM sleep, alters the EEG signal and results in altered performance.  

16. Cellular Radiation Negatively Impacts Birds and Bees

Published research finds the frequencies impact wildlife. For example studies have found that the radiation alter bird navigation and disturb honeybee colonies. Research also shows impacts on trees and plant.

17. US Cities and Entire Countries are voting to halt 5G

Cities in California such as Petaluma, Mill Valley, Monterey, Hillsborough, Ross, San Anselmo and Sebastopol and Doylestown in Pennsylvania have voted and passed policies to halt 5G and restrict the wireless rollout into neighborhoods.  Petaluma City Council voted to prohibited small cell installation on city-owned light poles and other city-owned street furniture and established a 500-foot setback from a small cell to any residence. 

18. The FCC is not monitoring radiation exposures from cell installations and many cell towers are in violation of the radiation limits.

The Wall Street Journal did an investigative report in 2014 examining over 5,000 cell antennas sites and found that 1 in 10 sites violated the rules during safety audits for carriers and local municipalities “underscoring a safety lapse,” yet the FCC has issued just two citations to cell carriers since 1996 because “the FCC says it lacks resources to monitor each antenna.” A CBS Atlanta investigation also found radiation excesses up to 400 percent of the limit close up to the antennas on rooftop posing serious health risks especially to any worker coming on the roof.  

19. The American Academy of Pediatrics is one of many medical organizations that is calling for federal action to protect children. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics webpage onCell Towers states: 

“An Egyptian study confirmed concerns that living nearby mobile phone base stations increased the risk for developing:

• Headaches
• Memory problems
• Dizziness
• Depression
• Sleep problems”

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), our largest organization of children’s doctors, has repeatedly written the US  government that current regulations on cellular radiation are outdated and non protective for children and pregnant women.

20. Firefighters fought hard to oppose 5G small cells in California

The International Association of Firefighters has officially opposed cell towers on their stations since 2004 after a study found neurological damage in firefighters with antennas on their station.

Cell Tower Radiation is Linked To Damage in Human Blood

Landmark US National Toxicology Program (NTP) Study Finds “Clear Evidence of Cancer” and DNA Damage