One of the technology advances being deployed with 5G is the use of phased-array antenna design, allowing the 5G base stations to steer and direct the signal towards your handset. However this technology is not new. In fact the first Phased Array radar system was the FuMG 41/42 Mammut radar, developed and deployed by the German GEMA company late in World War 2. Interestingly, this radar system is featured in Saving Private Ryan. Here's some stills from the movie showing one of the 'hoarding' radar systems.
At the end of WW2, thousands of German engineers and scientists were offered citizenship in other countries, especially in the USA, via a program named Operation Paperclip. They brought with them their technical expertise and knowledge and contributed to the post-war boom and the rapid development of high-tech industries including aerospace, computing and, in this case, radar. One such individual was Prof Dr Hans Eric Hollmann who, in 1947, moved to California to work for NASA.
Prof Dr Hans Eric Hollmann
More recently, the PAVE PAWS early warning system deployed on the east and west coasts of the USA in the '70s and '80s has been cause for concern of health risks amongst local residents, with Cape Cod residents concerned the system may contribute to a 15% increased incidence of certain cancers in the area.
I attended the Telstra AGM on Tuesday 15 October 2019 and asked the Chairman John Mullen about the risk of 5G. You can hear my question and his response here:
In my question, I pointed out that Swiss Re, one of the largest re-insurance companies in the world, have identified 5G as one of their Top 5 risks of 2019. Insurance companies do not insure telcos for electromagnetic radiation risk. Lloyds of London provided explicit exclusions in 2015.
Chairman Mullen mentioned the anti-vaccination movement. Issues of liability in the vaccine industry are big deal in that industry since it is well established that in rare cases vaccinations do indeed lead to injury. 7 countries including the USA indemnify vaccine manufacturers from liability, providing alternative mechanisms for compensation.
Chairman Mullen said there was "...absolutely not one shred of evidence..." that mobile phone radiation causes health risks. In March 2019, in an open letter to ARPANSA, Prof Martin Pall called out 158 bodies of evidence that non-ionising radiation (like mobile phone radiation and 5G) are causes important health-related effects.
In November 2015, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that "the substance [glyphosate, the active component in Roundup] is unlikely to be genotoxic (i.e. damaging to DNA) or to pose a carcinogenic threat to humans", yet Bayer-Monsanto is in the process of settling a massive class-action lawsuit that Roundup causes cancer, with costs estimated between US$2.5bn and US$20bn.
Not only did Chairman Mullin fail to address the 5G risk to Telstra, in his reply to me he said "100% we will accept the liability" posed from all the generations of mobile technology. This is an extraordinary statement to make at a shareholder meeting. The risk to Telstra and it's shareholders is high and in my opinion the Chairman and CEO failed to appraise shareholders of the risk to the company, misleading shareholders.
I do not consent.
Update 20-Dec-2019
It's interesting to see in the Telstra 2019 Annual Report
"7.3.2 Contingent liabilities and guarantees
(a) Common law claims
Certain common law claims by employees and third parties are yet to be resolved. As at 30 June 2019, management believes that the resolution of these contingencies will not have a significant effect on the Telstra Entity’s financial results. The maximum amount of these contingent liabilities cannot be reliably estimated."
Lloyds were right - “EMF cases could be more complex than asbestos claims.” Yikes!
Richard Cullen: Thank you Mr Chairman. My question is about the risk with 5G. Given that Swiss Rd lists 5G in it's Top 5 risks for 2019, can you confirm that Telstra has no public liability insurance for any injury caused by 5G and therefore assumes full direct liability for all claims. Why does the board deem it appropriate to expose shareholders to such extreme liability by deploying 5G technology before the safety of the technology has been positively established through comprehensive, independent testing instead of through extrapolation, assumption and experimentation on the public? Further, infringement of the Nuremberg Code prohibits experimentation on human subjects without consent. It says "Consent is absolutely essential". I want to make it clear - I do not consent.
Chairman John Mullen: OK, thank you. The whole industry including Telstra has spent an inordinate amount of time and money on researching any potential health impacts of all the "G's" not just 5G. So have governments, so have a wide number of international studies. I can assure you we are acutely aware of our responsibilities in those areas but there is absolutely not one shred of evidence that 5G or for that matter 4G has any harmful effect on humans. And I do realise that for those that believe like anti-vaccination or even The Flat Earth Society it is very hard to change people's opinion.
Cullen: May I just…
Mullen: May I just finish. If ever there is any indication whatsoever that we and the industry are wrong you can be 100% sure that we not only will accept the liability but that we will be all over it. But as of today there is absolutely no evidence.
Cullen: May I just refer you to Professor Martin Pall from the University of Washington, emeritus professor there, who in an open letter to ARPANSA stated 187 [correction: 158] bodies of evidence about human exposure and health risk.
Mullen: Well, the same thing about vaccination and flat-earth. I’m sorry, I just… We can only go with the science that is proven by the majority collective view and there is no such science today.
Cullen: I will just say for the record that I am electrically sensitive, so I really couldn’t care what your studies may or may not prove because I feel it.
Mullen: I can see you’re a very sensitive person and so am I to this issue. We will do the right thing, I can assure you.
This week I received further correspondence from James Merlino, Minister for Education in Victoria. You can read it here.
It appears that the Department's policy on RF-EMF exposure is based purely on the ARPANSA standard, but I have emailed Dr Claire Tobin to clarify. Dr Tobin's LinkedIn profile is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-tobin-4401a1120/
So today I wrote:
Dear Dr Tobin
I have been in correspondence with James Merlino on the subject of concerns about the impact of increased exposure of students and teachers to radio frequency radiation (RF EMF) from cell phones and wifi, particularly given the the reliance on wireless devices such as laptops and ipads in primary and secondary schools, and as 5G is rolled out across Melbourne and Victoria.
Mr Merlino has referred me to contact you to further discuss the Department's policy on this matter.
In his letter to me (attached) Mr Merlino mentions that the department has been in contact with ARPANSA regarding 5G and potential health impacts. I would like to know if the Department forms it's policy decisions on RF EMF exposure based solely on advice from ARPANSA, or whether other sources of information or advice are used, and if so what those sources are.
Many thanks
- Dr Richard Cullen
Sassafras, VIC
If the Department is relying solely on ARPANSA for safety exposure recommendations then we have a real problem. Click here to read why I believe ARPANSA's safety standards are indefensible and dangerous.
I'm delighted to announce the launch of my new channel The EMF Inspector where we'll delve into the details behind and problems with wireless communications.
From 5G to mobile, wifi and Bluetooth, modern life revolves around the use of wireless communications devices. And with the push into the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G networks, the cloud of wireless signals that surrounds us every day is only set to get denser and more ubiquitous.
However, along with the push from Big Tech is rising a wave of concern. Stop 5G community groups have sprung up around the world as members of the general public become concerned about the lack of testing, the lax safety standards and the potential impacts to the health and wellbeing of people, plants, animals, insects and the environment.
So with this new channel I'll be looking in detail into the claims made from all sides of the debate. We'll be dissecting 'experts', examining claims from technologists and looking into the research, policies, standards and governance that comes to play in this space.
So head over to Youtube to subscribe to the video channel, subscribe to the podcast or send me an email.
Let me know what you think and suggestions for content that you'd like to see discussed!
In Australia, ionising and non-ionising radiation exposure standards as set by ARPANSA and regulated by ACMA.
ARPANSA was created under the ARPANS Act 1998, with the stated objective:
Object of Act: The object of this Act is to protect the health and safety of people, and to protect the environment, from the harmful effects of radiation.
Wikipedia defines safety as:
Safety is the state of being "safe" (from French sauf), the condition of being protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
So, safety is the control of recognised hazards.
Let's have a look at some definitions from SafeWork Australia:
Hazard - A situation or thing that has the potential to harm a person.
Risk - The possibility that harm (death, injury or illness) might occur when exposed to a hazard. [emphasis mine]
Carcinogen - A substance or mixture that causes or is suspected of causing cancer.
RF radiation, like mobile phone radiation, wifi and so on, is a hazard. It is not inert. Therefore it is regulated and safety standard is applied.
In 2011, IARC classified as Class 2b 'possibly carcinogenic' "Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as, but not limited to, those associated with wireless phones", saying
“The conclusion means that there could be some risk…”
Note: the NTP study 2018 did provide 'clear evidence' for the carcinogenicity of mobile phone radiation but the study was not designed to provide dosimetry or exposure data. Heat is not classified by IARC, therefore the risk of cancer must be driven by non-thermal effects.
But from the ARPANSA standard, "published in 2002 and replublished [nice spelling mistake!] in May 2016" states:
"The possibility of carcinogenic effects of exposure to RF fields has received considerable attention in the last 20 years. Studies have examined the possibility that RF energy may cause DNA damage or influence tumour promotion. The balance of evidence suggests that exposure to RF fields is not mutagenic and therefore unlikely to act as an initiator or promoter of carcinogenesis (IEGMP 2000)."
Therefore the ARPANSA standard is proven obsolete since it fails to acknowledge any developments in the RF hazard research over the past 20 years, the IARC classification in 2011 or any progress in the development of risk management procedures since this section was drafted on or before 2000.
The stated objective of the ARPANS Act, interpreted under modern Risk management best practices, would necessitate a Precautionary approach under conditions of uncertainty. ARPANSA do not take a Precautionary approach to setting exposure standards since it only considers thermal effects and deliberately and explicitly disregards consideration of non-thermal effects, despite the stated presence of uncertainty.
Clearly ARPANSA is failing in its obligations under the ARPANS Act. The CEO must be fired and a Royal Commission held on it's conduct. Further, due to its egregious failings, ARPANSA has clearly disqualified itself as an authority on RF safety.
On My 20th 2019, EE announced the first 5G deployment in the UK. The BBC News website covered the event, along with a "Reality Check" segment. Let's do a real reality check on the Reality Check.
Some people have questioned whether there are health risks from 5G, but experts and regulators say there is no evidence of danger.
>> Because no studies to investigate health risks from 5G have been undertaken.
Similar fears were expressed around earlier mobile internet and wi-fi.
>> The biggest study, the $25 million NTP study that reported in 2018, found mobile phone radiation correlated with increases in brain cancers.
The NTP studies found that high exposure to RFR used by cell phones was associated with:
Clear evidence of tumors in the hearts of male rats. The tumors were malignant schwannomas.
Some evidence of tumors in the brains of male rats. The tumors were malignant gliomas.
Some evidence of tumors in the adrenal glands of male rats. The tumors were benign, malignant, or complex combined pheochromocytoma.
More than 200 scientists appealed to the EU to halt the roll out of 5G, saying that electromagnetic fields may be harmful to humans and the environment, and could increase cancer risks. >> Brussels, the home of the EU, has imposed a moratorium on the roll-out of 5G.
But the EU says exposure from 5G will be far below limits set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
>> In 2017 ICNIRP classified skin, the main organ impacted by 5G, as a 'secondary organ'. ICNIRP is a registered social club, not a chartered scientific organisation.
"There has been no evidence to suggest that electromagnetic waves from mobile phones and networks are bad for your health," says Prof Malcolm Sperrin, Director of the Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Having had such underwhelming response from my local federal MP Tony Smith, it was time to reach out to my state representative, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, James Merlino. A few years ago I met with him to discuss the issues of wifi in the classroom, and while he was interested at that time, he was noncommittal.
Here's the correspondence:
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Subject: 5G being deployed without safety research
Date: 11 April 2019
Dear James
A few years ago we met to discuss the concerns of myself and my wife of the full scale roll out of wifi into schools and the potential wellness impacts this would have. I note a number of schools are actively reversing their reliance on ipad-based learning systems and reverting to physical books, pens and paper as this sorry experiment is unmasked with the precipitous drop in results and the number of students that have been deprived of an adequate education as a consequence.
But now all Victorians are faced with a new electromagnetic threat - the rapid deployment of 5G which is underway in Melbourne's CBD right now and which is set across the country in due course along with a swarm of low-orbit satellites being deployed as well.
When pressed, the telecommunications industry admitted to US Senate enquiries that no active research into the health impact of 5G is currently being undertaken. Given that 5G is currently being rolled out across Melbourne, Victoria and Australia, how can your government simply rely on assumptions to allow this radically novel technology to be deployed based on assumptions of safety?
For you reference, here is the video clip of testimony in the US senate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ5soLrvXFg
It is highly noteworthy that Brussels, the Swiss canton of Vaud, some Italian cities and some cities in the USA have introduced moratoria on the deployment of 5G due to concerns about excessive radiation levels from 5G 'small cell' deployments.
5G is a radical new technology. It utilises millimeter-scale wavelength radiation that interacts with the body entirely differently to current-generation mobile emissions. Safety measurement standards have not been developed and no active research into the health impact are in place. Instead ARPANSA continues to base it's exposure limits on obsolete science. In a recent reply to ARPANSA on this matter by world expert Dr Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Washington State University he cites "158 bodies of evidence each showing that non-thermal exposures cause an important health-related effect." I recommend you read the entire letter to fully understand why the government needs to act immediately to bring ARPANSA to account.
The roll-out of 5G is happening right now. A large body of evidence for the health impacts of existing mobile phone radiation exists and no research is currently underway to establish the safety or otherwise of 5G. The risks cannot be overstated, and if the roll-out is not stopped then the health and well-being of every single Australian citizen is put in jeopardy.
The State government cannot stand by and allow the telecommunications industry to swap our cities and suburbs with this dangerous experiment. Before long it will be too late and the health and well-being of everyone is at risk. I ask that you act immediately to halt the roll-out of 5G immediately, demand ARPANSA reflect the established body of research in their recommendations and require evidence of safety *before* 5G is deployed.
I look forward to hearing further from you.
Regards
- Richard Cullen
Sassafras
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Reply date 12 April 2019
Dear Mr Cullen,
Thank you for your email to James regarding 5G telecommunication technology in Victoria.
As matters relating to telecommunications are the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government, you may wish to raise your concerns with your local Federal member.
The local Federal member for Sassafras is the Hon. Tony Smith MP, Federal Member for Casey, who may be contacted via email at tony.smith.mp@aph.gov.au or by phone on 03 9727 0799.
Kind regards,
Liam Attoe | Electorate Officer
Office of the Hon. James Merlino MP, State Member for Monbulk
Deputy Premier | Minister for Education
1635 Burwood Highway, Belgrave Vic 3160
-------------------
My response, 12 April 2019
Yes I am in correspondence with Mr Smith. However I believe that those who steward our state need to stand up for the safety of its citizens by declaring a moratorium while also lobbying your federal counterparts for a wholesale review of ARPANSA.
If you review the material I provided it is the only conclusion.
Mr Merlino- do not wash your hands!
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Further response from Merlino, received 17 May 2019
Good Afternoon,
Please find attached a letter from the Office of the Deputy Premier, Minister for Education.
My recent correspondence was directly in relation to the roll out of 5G in our city and state, and the concerns about the advice and stance of ARPANSA in this matter. You have failed to address any of the issues I raised regarding 5G in your reply to me.
5G has not been tested for health impacts. I note that insurance company Swiss Re have this week released a report stating in their view 5G is high risk due to "Worries about 5G technology include negative health effects, privacy issues, security breaches and an increased possibility of cyber espionage."
If you are using ARPANSA to justify your position that 5G and wifi provide no risk to health, I ask you to confirm to me who within ARPANSA is adequately medically qualified to provide health advice. The answer is - they can't.
I am staggered that you, as Minister for Education in this state, with NAPLAN results falling across the board and progressive schools reversing their decisions regarding ipad-based learning, would still continue to bang the drum that wifi is safe and effective in schools. The evidence clearly does not support this position.
It's 2019, 5G deployment is in full swing and an election is in the air. Seems like the perfect time to start calling out some of the anti-scientific bullshit that is used to form public health policy in this country.
Here's my first email to Tony Smith MP, dated 11 March 2019:
Mr Smith
When pressed, the telecommunications industry admitted to US Senate enquiries that no active research into the health impact of 5G is currently being undertaken.
Given that 5G is currently being rolled out across Melbourne, Victoria and Australia, how can your government simply rely on assumptions to give this radically novel technology the green-light?
For you reference, here is the video clip of testimony in the US senate.
Tony Smith MP
Federal Member for Casey
25 MAR 2019
Dear Mr Cullen,
Thank-you for taking the time to contact me regarding electromagnetic energy emissions and 5G network, and the visa application for Mr David lyke.
In relation to the electromagnetic energy emissions and the 5G network, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is the Government agency responsible for setting the exposure standard for radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic energy (EME). The ARPANSA exposure limits are set well below the level at which adverse health effects are known to occur and include a wide safety margin to protect the public. Typically mobile phone base stations operate at a small percentage of the ARPANSA standard.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) regulates EME from telecommunications facilities and other wireless devices used for communication, including mobile phones and modems. The ACMA's regulatory arrangements require facilities and wireless devices to comply with the exposure limits in the ARPANSA RF Standard.
The effects of RF EME exposure have been, and continue to be, the subject of extensive and rigorous scientific study around the world. It is the assessment of ARPANSA and other leading health authorities such as the World Health Organisation that there are no known health effects at low RF EME levels, such as those emitted by mobile phone base stations or handsets. ARPANSA maintains continual oversight of emerging research into the potential health effects of RF EME emissions. If credible scientific evidence ever indicates that the current ARPANSA standard does not adequately Protect the health of Australians, the Government would take immediate action to rectify the situation.
ARPANSA does not expect that EME from radio frequencies associated with 5G networks will cause adverse health effects.
Further information about EME is available from ARPANSA at www.arpansa.gov.au or by phone on 1800 022 333.
Information is also available at www.acma.gov.au/emehub, which is a site managed by the ACMA.
In regard to your comments about the visa application for Mr David Iyke, there is a process that is followed in relation to character issues regarding people who wish to come to Australia. It is open to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon David Coleman MP, to play a role in that process where he believes that it is necessary to do so.
Once again, thank you for contacting me with your concerns.
Yours sincerely,
TONY SMITH
------------------
I replied on 1 April 2019:
Dear Mr Smith
Thank you for your letter which I received in the post today. I wish to highlight several areas of your letter which are either factually incorrect or misinformed.
You state:
"The effects of RF EME exposure have been, and continue to be, the subject of extensive and rigorous scientific study around the world."
Yet in my initial email to you I point to sworn testimony from the US stating that there is no active research being conducted into the health impacts of 5G, directly contradicting your assertion.
In your reply to me you state:
"The ARPANSA exposure limits are set well below the level at which adverse health effects are known to occur..."
and
"It is the assessment of ARPANSA and other leading health authorities such as the World Health Organisation that there are no known health effects of low RD EME levels, such as those emitted by mobile phone base station or handsets."
These statements are incorrect. There are in fact numerous well-documented health impacts of low-level EME exposure well established in the scientific literature at levels far below the ARPANSA limit. I note that ARPANSA's limit is 100x higher than the limit in China, Russia and Switzerland (1); some European countries are lower still.
I refer you to a recent reply to ARPANSA on this matter by world expert Dr Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Washington State University (2) where he cites "158 bodies of evidence each showing that non-thermal exposures cause an important health-related effect." I recommend you read the entire letter to fully understand why the government needs to act immediately to bring ARPANSA to account.
Further, the thermal exposure methodology (quantified as Specific Absorption Rate or SAR) fails where 5G radiation is considered because the higher frequency radiation is highly absorbed by the surface of the skin rather than penetrating deeper into the body. The International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 106 (IEC TC106, chaired by Mike Woods from Telstra here in Melbourne) has not to date defined measurement standardisation techniques for electromagnetic radiation in the 5G spectrum. If you can't agree how to measure it, how can you agree what a safe level is?
You state:
"If credible scientific evidence ever indicates that the current ARPANSA standard does not adequately protect the health of Australians, the Government would take immediate action to rectify the situation".
I'm sure you will agree that 158 bodies of peer-reviewed scientific evidence must surely meet this criteria. I therefore look forward to immediate action from the government on this matter and look forward to hearing from you forthwith about the next steps the government takes, including the immediate announcement of a moratorium on the roll-out of the 5G network by all telecommunications companies.
You also state:
"ARPANSA does not expect that EME from radio frequencies associated with 5G networks will cause adverse health effects"
In other words, ARPANSA is forming public health policy decisions on the basis of assumption, not science, and ARPANSA is either inept or unreliable and untrustworthy. In either case, this position must surely discount them from playing any part in forming Australian public health policy. They must be brought to account!
The roll-out of 5G is happening right now. A large body of evidence for the health impacts of existing mobile phone radiation exists and no research is currently underway to establish the safety or otherwise of 5G. The risks cannot be overstated, and if the roll-out is not stopped then the health and well-being of every single Australian citizen is put in jeopardy.
As my local representative, I implore that you take a stand on this issue before it is too late. The upcoming election provides an ideal platform for this matter to be addressed.
(2) Letter from Dr Pall to ARPANSA, 4 March 2019
https://stopsmartmetersau.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/prof-pall-response-to-arpansa-letter-4-march-2019.pdf
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On April 12, I got a call from Tony Smith's office saying "Because the election has been announced, the government is now in care-taker mode. Is it OK if we pick this up again after the election?"
I said "The reason I raised it is because it should be an election issue."
Unsurprisingly, I didn't get any pick-up.
