Australian radiation safety agency fires back at 5G health fearmongering

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has returned serve to the myriad submissions made to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications Inquiry into 5G in Australia that state 5G is a health threat to humans and fauna. "Higher frequencies do not mean higher exposure levels," ARPANSA bluntly stated in its submission. "Current research indicates that there is no established evidence for health effects from radio waves used in mobile telecommunications. This includes the upcoming roll-out of the 5G network. ARPANSA's assessment is that 5G is safe." The agency stated that while the frequencies used in 4G and 5G mean some energy is absorbed into the body, it is too low to create any "significant heating of tissue", and the higher millimetre-wave frequencies set to be used for 5G in the future do not "penetrate past the skin". "The power level will be low and no appreciable heating will occur in the skin," the agency said. If exposed to energy levels 50 times higher than the Australian standard, heating of tissue can occur, such as when welding or exposed to AM radio towers, but that is why safety precautions are taken, ARPANSA said.