5G Technology: Which Risks From the Health Perspective?

The deployment of a new generation of mobile communication networks requires the installation of a dedicated radio access infrastructure. In the case of 5G, this unavoidable practice is creating a controversy about the potential issues for the public health that new radio base stations may entail. In this chapter, we discuss five major health risk allegations against 5G, namely: (i) the links between insurgence of tumors and exposure to ElectroMagnetic Fields (EMFs) generated by 5G; (ii) the increase of EMF levels due to an uncontrolled proliferation of 5G sites; (iii) the health risks associated to emissions in the new mm-Wave spectrum adopted by 5G; (iv) the uncertainty about the actual 5G EMF emission levels caused by the absence of dedicated measurements; (v) the impossibility to remove the previous uncertainty determined by the lack of measurement tools suitable for 5G technologies. We examine these arguments from an engineering perspective, by tacking into account the outcome of state-of-the-art scientific studies, the current relevant regulations and the technical features of 5G technologies. Our review indicates that there is no incontrovertible scientific evidence supporting any of the five claims. While we second the need for further investigations, we also remark a factual fabrication of fake news on the risks of 5G for the public health, which may severely distort the perception of this technology by the population at large.