RTESE2019: Ottawa, Canada

Environmental Implications of Electromagnetic EnergyThe 5G and Beyond Myth

Riadh Habash, McLaughlin Research Chair: EM Energy and Healthrhabash@site.uottawa.ca

networks are likely to be rolled

out commercially between

2020 and 2025

Upgrade to 5G: a beginning to unfoldConnecting 7 trillion wireless devices to serve 7 billion people

5G is the next generation standard of mobile technologybeyond the 4G long-term evolution (LTE) commonly usedtoday. It is intended to allow Internet-of-Things (IoT) andartificial intelligence (AI) to coexist.

10 years is the typical time needed for developing a wirelesstechnology generation and 20 for operation. In terms ofprocessing power, 10 years means about 60 times increasein capacity.

The ENCQOR 5G initiative, Canada

The ENCQOR initiative (Evolution of Networked Servicesthrough a Corridor in Québec and Ontario for Research andInnovation) represents a total investment of $400 million.

ENCQOR connects five digital giants (Ericsson, Ciena Canada,Thales Canada, IBM Canada, and CGI), governments of Canada,Quebec and Ontario.

It brings together industry, small- and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs), the public sector, centres for innovation, anduniversities.

Main technical featuresFrequencies: Up to 4G use several frequencies from 400 MHz to about 4GHz, while 5G uses 6 GHz to 300 GHz.

Photon energy: Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is composed of photons.

E = hf where h is the blanck’s constant (4.14 ×10-15 eV.s; 1 eV = 1.602×10-

19 Jouls). It is obvious that photon energy of the 5G signal is larger thanthe other G signals.

Distance radiation can travel: 4G can travel several kilometers in a line ofsight. 5G travels less distance but can be easily blocked by objects,therefore more transmitters are needed.

For the 5G smart environment, a dense network of ground- and space-based cellular infrastructure is required because 5G signals do not travel as far 4G.

the QUESTION Do we really need this gradually penetrating EM exposure

of the natural environment and all living beings?

Yes No

Powerful 5G from ground networksUnlike 4G, in which a single antenna broadcasts over a wide area, 5Gbase stations and devices will employ phased array antennas thatemit focused, steerable beams that track each other.

Qingqing Wu, et. Al. An Overview of Sustainable Green 5G Networks. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1609.09773.pdf

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology

Powerful 5G from spaceSeveral companies (for example, SpaceX, OnWeb, Boing, Spir Global, Telesat) areproposing to provide 5G from space from a combined 20,000 satellites in low-and medium-Earth orbit that will blanket the Earth with powerful, focused,steerable beams.

https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2018/05/Satellite_for_5G_infographic3

Space-enabled IoTNo place on Earth will be free of EM radiation: The satellites will operate at a height of

approximately 210 miles, and irradiate the Earth with extremely high frequencies between 37.5 GHz and 42 GHz. The Earth will therefore be comprehensively irradiated

from outer space.

1990s: GSM 2000s: GPRS 2010s: LTE 2015s: LTE Advanced 2020s: G5 2030: G6 Dat

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Cellular

WLAN

Short Links

Latency: 1990s : 1000 ms 2000s: 100 ms 2015s: 50 ms 2010s: 10 ms 2020s: 1 ms

Health Care

Smart agriculture

3D/Virtual Reality

Smart ParkingAutonomous Driving

IoT and M2M

Smart Cities

Smart Buildings

IoT and M2M

Smart Grid and SCADA

Voice

Latency Bar

Release of first 5G 3GPP Standard, 2019

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Why are UV, x

rays, and γ rays

called ionizing

radiation?

Ionizing EM radiationionizing materials that absorb it

Photons act as individual quanta and interact withindividual electrons, atoms, molecules, and so on. Energy toionize atom or molecule is 10 – 1000 eV. This means killingcells or damaging their ability to properly reproduce,therefore, cell reproduction is disrupted.

Ionizing radiation including Ultraviolent , Gamma and Xrays, a form of nuclear and cosmic EM radiation, can havehighest photon energies in the EM spectrum.

Electrosmog: Non-ionizing radiationA new form of environmental pollution!Unlike ionizing radiation, EM fields in the non-ionizing part of the EMspectrum cannot damage DNA or cells directly.

Some scientists have speculated that such pollution could causecancer through other mechanisms, such as by reducing levels of thehormone melatonin.

Effects can be non-linear because this is the first generation to havecradle-to-grave lifespan exposure to this level of EM radiation.

Precaution in the roll out of this new technology is stronglyindicated.

Public healthConcerns are about the untested aspects that 5G network including morecell towers and a constant chorus of higher-energy photons streamingthrough human bodies.

It is known that EM radiation that generates heat can be hazardous andmay cause health effects. But a debate has been on-going for years as towhether EM radiation that has insignificant thermal effects, meaning, itheats only minimally, can compromise health.

Public health regulations may need to be updated to match appropriateindependent science with the adoption of biologically based exposurestandards prior to further deployment of 4G or 5G technology.

Public perception of riskThe public perceive risks from EM exposure as likely and evenpossibly severe. Reasons for public fear include media publications ofnew and unconfirmed scientific studies, leading to a feeling ofuncertainty and a perception that there may be unknown hazards.

Education programs as well as effective communications andinvolvement of the public and other stakeholders at appropriatestages of the decision process before installing EM sources canenhance public acceptability.

C4ST: Canadians for Safe TechnologyA not-for-profit, volunteer-based coalition of parents, citizens and expertswhose mission is to educate and inform Canadians and their policymakers about the dangers of the exposures to unsafe levels of radiationfrom technology.

Antennas: Many EM radiation antennas are within meters of homes and schools

Safety Code 6: No evaluation is presented in Safety Code 6

Cancer: Class 2B designation, possible human carcinogen by the WHO.

Skin: Interactions between EM radiation and toxicants that exist in the skin.

Military applications: For example, active denial systems.

Inadequate safety standards: IEEE, ICNIRP, Safety Code 6 as well as WHO.

Past issues: Asbestos, cigarette smoking and bisphenol-A (BPA), etc.

EHT: Environmental Health Trust A think tank that promotes a healthier EM environment through research, education, and policy.

Based on thermal effects

Based on biological effects

Physicians for Safe TechnologyA group of physicians and health professionals whose mission is to provide trusted leadership in promoting, healthy and safe environments through the safer use of technology at home, in schools, in the workplace, in healthcare settings and in communities.

Headlines:

Wildlife Are More Vulnerable to Wireless Radiation

Trees are Harmed by Radiofrequency Radiation

Plants, Bacteria snd Fungi Affected by Microwave Radiation

Bird Migration Disrupted More by Weak Magnetic Fields

Bee Behavior Disruption by Cell Phone Radiation

5G Deployment More Harmful for Insects: The Resonance Effect

Human Survival Linked to Biodiversity and Healthy Ecosystems

Classification from IARC/WHO

In 2011, WHO/International Agencyfor Research on Cancer (IARC)classified EM fields as Group 2B“possibly carcinogenic to humans.”This classification is based on “anincreased risk for glioma, a malignanttype of brain cancer, associated withwireless phone use.”

Opinion from ECSCENIHRIn 2015, the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks reviewed EM in general. It found that, overall:

Epidemiologic studies of extremely low frequency fields show anincreased risk of childhood leukemia with estimated daily averageexposures above 0.3 to 0.4 μT, although no mechanisms have beenidentified and there is no support from experimental studies thatexplains these findings.

Epidemiologic studies on high frequency exposure do not show anincreased risk of brain tumors or other cancers of the head and neckregion, although the possibility of an association with acousticneuroma remains open.

Statement from SCHEER

The 2018 European Commission Scientific Committee on Health,Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) concludes:

The lack of clear evidence to inform the development of exposureguidelines to 5G technology leaves open the possibility ofunintended biological consequences.

Conclusion from US/Italy

In 2018, the U.S. National Toxicology Program and the RamazziniInstitute in Italy have both concluded that EM radiation is a potentialcancer risk.

The science also raises concerns that the implementation of 5Gnetworks will harm not only humans, but also the environment andwildlife, particularly the bees, butterflies and other pollinatorsneeded to grow our food sources.

EM radiations can disrupt the magnetic "compass" that many birdsand insects use for migration.

Case from Brussels

Cities in Europe are calling for bans on 5G due to healthconcerns and the need to raise their protective safety limits.

A 5G Pilot project in Brussels was halted due toenvironmental and health concerns. The EnvironmentalMinister Celine Fremault stated, “I cannot welcome suchtechnology if the radiation standards, which must protectthe citizen, are not respected, 5G or not … The people ofBrussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at aprofit.”

Qingqing Wu, et. Al. An Overview of Sustainable Green 5G Networks. https://arxiv.org/pdf/1609.09773.pdf

How to make key 5G environmental friendly?

SE: Spectral EfficiencyEE: Energy Efficient

MetamaterialsEnergy harvesting technologies: RF-to-DCGreen 5G device‐to‐device (D2D) communicationGreen machine‐to‐machine (M2M) communicationEnergy‐efficient 5G architecture

Metamaterials for 5G efficient antennas

Metamaterials are composite media treated or engineered to produce unique physical

properties that are not found in naturally occurring materials. They are developed by

gathering multiple elements made from composite materials such as plastics or metals

and characterized by their engineered EM properties across any frequency domain with

an ability to manipulating EM waves by blocking, absorbing, or bending.

A simplified functional diagram of how EM energy can be harnessed from the environment and converted into DC

power for another application.

https://www.mwrf.com/systems/harvesting-energy-rf-sources

Wind, Sun, RF, Thermal, Mechanical, Biochemical, Radioactive

Energy harvesting technologies

Metamaterials for healthier EM environment

Finally, care about your EM working environment

Thank You

Thank you