Press Release: Local opposition to 5G rollout grows

This press release was received approximately two week ago and relates to a local meeting on the rollout of 5G phone technology and it's potential health impacts. Unfortunately the press release was only dealt with after the event. But since this is an issue not widely discussed, we are publishing it anyhow as it contains some key questions and links to some further sites that given more background on the issue. -editor

Press Release: Local opposition to 5G rollout grows

Public Meeting at 7pm, Wednesday, June 5th, 2019 in An Díseart Centre, Green St, Dingle

Opposition is growing across County Kerry to the proposed rollout of the 5G internet network, which will require such a density of antennae that scientists predict it will increase radiation levels from 10 to 100 times the current levels.

At a public meeting in Dingle next week UCC academic Tom Butler will present his evidence on the clear risks of electromagnetic exposure to children. The publication of Butler’s paper last month and subsequent coverage on RTE exposed the dangers of the 5G rollout which is being done without any safety studies.

The 5G awareness group in Dingle refer to an international appeal now signed by 30,000 scientists which states that the proposed increase in radiation levels by the rollout will have catastrophic effects on human and animal health, with children, pregnant women and insects being of particular risk.

Regulators in Brussels, Switzerland and Rome have halted 5G due to health and safety concerns.

However, Comreg, the Department of Communications Environment and Climate Action, the ESB and telecoms providers continue to say wireless technologies are safe according to the ICNIRP standard, despite the more than10,000 peer reviewed studies that have found to the contrary.

The ICNIRP standard, devised in 1995 looks only at the heating effects of radiation and has since been roundly discredited thousands of studies showing harm from non-thermal effects.

The 5G or fifth generation rollout is set to increase current 4G levels exponentially as it uses the previously untapped millimetre bandwidth. Millimetre signals can only travel a short distance and are easily absorbed by plants and rain. To compensate for this mobile telecoms companies will send signals along the fibre broadband infrastructure and are installing ‘small cells’ every 100 to 500 metres, each fitted with several focused antennae.

Last February, planning legislation was amended to exempt these ‘small cells’ and antenna from the planning permission process.

‘Our legislation has been changed to facilitate the interests of commercial companies which is evidence that our government is not acting in the interests of public health’ said spokesperson for the group, Siobhan de Paor.

‘We are urging school principals, teachers and parents in particular to attend the meeting to learn of the risks but also the very simple steps they can take to protect the children in their care from emf exposure,’ added Luke Eastwood, of 5G Awareness Dingle.

Bee populations are also of particular concern as insects absorb 100 times as much radiation at millimetre wavelengths than they do at current wavelengths.

Butler, along with European election candidate Allan Brennan, who campaigned for safe wireless use in schools, will present at the meeting on June 5th in An Díseart, Green St, which will be followed by an opportunity for people to discuss the issues and plan a response.

Opposition to 5G technologies on the peninsula formed last year with the ESB’s installation of wireless smart meters in people’s home, without safety studies, having chosen Dingle as the ‘testbed for the smart grid of the future’.

Resources:

Article on RTE by Tom Butler: https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0417/1043133-why-everyday-wireless-technology-poses-a-health-risk-to-children/

International Appeal by Scientists on 5G: https://www.5gspaceappeal.org/

https://bioinitiative.org/

https://www.emfscientist.org/

Spokespeople for Wired Atlantic Way and 5G Awareness Dingle:

Siobhán de Paor: 087 9306134 and Luke Eastwoord: 086 3119660