New Hampshire Report Claims 5G Health Risks Ignored
The FCC could be ignoring wireless RF dangers due to industry influence, a New Hampshire commission reported Sunday to Gov. Chris Sununu (R) and House and Senate leaders. CTIA and two others disagreed with 10 members on the commission, whose 15 recommendations included a national study, required warnings and new restrictions on wireless deployments. “Some balance can be struck to achieve the benefits of technology without jeopardizing" health, the majority said.
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Legislators established the commission last year in HB-522. The majority included state Reps. Patrick Abrami (R), Kenneth Wells (D) and Gary Woods (D), Sen. Tom Sherman (D) and state Senior Assistant Attorney General Brandon Garod, plus representatives for state departments of Business and Economic Affairs and Health and Human Services, the University of New Hampshire, McGill University Medicine and the public. Sen. James Gray (R) and CTIA and New Hampshire Business and Industry Association officials wrote the minority report.
“A likely explanation as to why regulatory agencies have opted to ignore the body of scientific evidence demonstrating the negative impact of cellphone radiation is that those agencies are ‘captured,’” the report said. FCC leadership roles especially “are filled by individuals with strong industry ties and hence are more focused on industry interests than the health of citizens.”
“The full body of literature of the science on wireless technology was ignored,” countered the minority. Had the state commission met its mandate to also study 5G advantages, it “would have been made aware of the significant economic and societal benefits.” Many majority recommendations are federally preempted and, if adopted, “would subject the state and localities to expensive challenges and litigation, and almost certain defeat," they said. They cited a September ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that a local RF law in Berkeley, California, warned too much (see 2009170070).
The minority report signers "have a much better grasp of the science," an FCC spokesperson emailed Monday. "It is disappointing that the other members of the Commission are lending credence to alarmist fears with no basis in fact. 5G is just as safe as prior generations of wireless technologies."
The state commission asked the FCC and other federal agencies to testify but got no response; it then sent written questions but was directed to websites containing general information, the report said. The commission met 13 times but missed four meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it noted. “It is important to stress that the Chair was planning to call additional witnesses from the scientific community as well as the telecommunication industry.”
The majority recommended asking Congress and the executive branch to require the FCC to order an independent review of RF standards and a health study. “The FCC has not exercised due diligence in its mission to manage the electromagnetic environment by not setting exposure limits that protect against health effects,” the document said. “They have failed to support technical means and investigations aimed at reducing human exposures to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in 10 telecommunications systems and optimize wireless modulations to reduce biological and health impacts.”
New Hampshire schools and public libraries should migrate to wired connections within five years of funding becoming available, the majority recommended. Require new wireless antennas to be set back from buildings, and adopt a statewide position favoring fiber, wired and optical wireless connections, it said. Require public service announcements about possible RF health risks, label poles holding 5G antennas, and post links to RF safety notices on state agency websites, the majority said. “Strongly recommend all new cell phones and all other wireless devices sold come equipped with updated software that can stop the phone from radiating when positioned against the body.” Encourage public and commercial buildings to post warning signs and designate “zones where employees and visitors can seek refuge from the effects of wireless RF emissions.”
CTIA slammed what it termed an “unbalanced and biased process.” The FCC December RF order found no evidence of adverse effects, and the World Health Organization, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and American Cancer Society say RF emissions from wireless devices and networks don’t cause health problems, a CTIA spokesperson said Monday.
The findings are significant for the RF debate, emailed Kitch’s Mike Watza. The majority “raised serious concerns of collusion” between the FCC and wireless industry and noted wireless and insurance providers acknowledging possible liability from possible future determinations of significant health effects, said the municipal telecom attorney.
The report is “the first of its kind in the U.S. to assess the independent science and public policy surrounding today's wireless technology” and reveals “great evidence of harm and failure of industry and government agencies to protect the public,” emailed Massachusetts for Safe Technology. The RF group urged supporters to share it with government officials.