5G technology is at the forefront of interest in the technology industry. It claims to bring unprecedented speeds of up to a hundred times faster than its predecessor, 4G, and also promises to sustain powerful connections across the world unlike anything seen before. Carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are racing to implement 5G. Even countries like the United States and China are investing billions of dollars into the fifth generation of wireless networks. The offerings of the new 5G networks are building excitement among consumers, in turn increasing the already large amounts of demand.

The excitement surrounding 5G technology has spurred increases of news coverage all around the world. Noticeably absent from the news, however, are the disadvantages and limitations of 5G technology. In the past, corporate interest has swept the downfalls of emerging technologies and ideas under the rug in order to maintain and increase consumer demand. With something as revolutionary as 5G technology, is it too far-fetched to assume a similar situation?

Deeper research into the fifth generation of wireless networks exposes numerous concerns and uncertainties surrounding the new technology. Notably, several people censored by corporate interest claim that 5G technology has a negative effect on health and advocate that it should not be implemented. One such advocate, Dr. Sharon Goldberg, is a medical professional who testified in court against 5G implementation in consideration of risk posed to public health. Dr. Goldberg referenced a recent study by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) which found a correlation between wireless radiation emitted by cellphones and cancer. She then reasoned how wireless radiation would increase greatly with the 5G towers and argued this would put the public at a greater risk for tumors.

Dr. Goldberg is not alone in the fight against 5G technology. Countless protests against 5G have occurred worldwide in countries such as the United States, Australia, and Switzerland. For example, thousands in Switzerland went to the streets this past September to protest the adoption of 5G in their country. The demonstrators argued that the World‘s Health Organization’s classification of cellphones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” left them extremely concerned as 5G towers were built in close proximity to their homes.

How often has society rushed into the latest inventions and technologies only to find the detrimental effects decades later? In the 1940s cigarettes were finally recognized as the cause of the lung cancer epidemic after centuries of unabated smoking. Even then, only a third of medical professionals believed that cigarettes were dangerous later on in the 1960s. American drivers unknowing poisoned themselves with lead gasoline for sixty years before Clair Patterson fought the use of lead with an unconventional claim.

This historical precedence reveals a need for caution when adopting 5G technology. Though direct opposition to implementation may not be viable or even necessary, further research into the potential health effects of 5G networks is imperative. Moreover, rather than readily moving towards the use of 5G technology-based off little evidence, the world should work towards the delayed implementation of 5G technology in order to better investigate its potential health effects and rectify any negative ones before release.

<Helen Kim / Van Nuys HS 11th Grade>