Radiated: the hidden cost of our wireless world

Inhoud Secties

• ● 5G: Uncharted territory for human exposure
• ● Big Tech’s power grab
• ● The health issues being swept under the rug
• ● A toxic wake-up call: It’s not just about dose
• ● Phones vs other devices: which emits more?
• ● The invisible burden: EMFs and chemical pollutants in a toxic cocktail
• ● Beyond humans: the ecological toll
• ● Time to reclaim health sovereignty in a digitally saturated world
• ● Further reading & resources

By Melissa Smith and Meleni Aldridge

We live in an age of unprecedented tech connectivity. From smartphones to smart homes, the promise of 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) is heavy on promises of instant communication and seamless automation. But beneath the slick marketing of the so-called “Fourth Industrial Revolution” lies a more sobering truth: we are saturating our environment, our bodies and all life on this beautiful planet, with an invisible web of electromagnetic radiation, the long-term effects of which remain underexplored and underestimated.

In the race for hyperconnectivity and technological dominance, we appear to be overlooking something essential: that we are electrical beings, finely tuned to nature’s frequencies. Not the artificial soup of signals now surrounding us and throwing the delicate balance that nature so exquisitely designed into chaos.

5G: Uncharted territory for human exposure

The fifth generation of wireless technology, 5G, is not simply the upgrade from 4G we’ve been led to believe. Instead, it introduces millimetre waves (mmWaves) into mainstream telecommunications, frequencies in the 30–300 GHz range that have never before been used on such a scale for consumer purposes. Proponents argue these waves can carry vast amounts of data over short distances, ideal for dense urban networks and smart cities. As the implementation of mmWave technology picks up pace, large events are being used to showcase the lightning quick speeds to seduce the public into embracing its adoption.

Yet long-term scientific research, particularly in real-world conditions, assessing the biological impacts of mmWave exposure on people and the planet is virtually non-existent. These waves, which penetrate the top layers of our skin, concentrate energy on the skin and eyes, potentially causing localised heating or subtler, non-thermal effects. Given that the skin is the body’s largest organ and primary immunological interface, such localised stress has systemic implications too.

The precautionary principle, widely used in Europe, is a cornerstone of responsible science, and demands that we pause and investigate before blanketing communities, flora and fauna with untested frequencies. So why the rush? Could it be because mmWaves can be deployed almost anywhere on earth further expanding big tech’s reach and its bottom line? Or could it be that they could also be used for crowd control in an increasingly authoritarian world?

The use of mmWaves for crowd control isn’t futuristic science fiction. It’s already in use. Millimetre waves, specifically in the 95 GHz frequency range, have been used by the US and other military for non-lethal crowd control through a technology known as the Active Denial System (ADS). The ADS is a directed-energy weapon developed by the US Department of Defense and works by emitting high-frequency millimetre waves that penetrate the outer 0.4 mm of human skin and rapidly heat the surface tissue to create an intense burning sensation. You literally feel as if you’re on fire.

Big Tech’s power grab

In the United States, lobbying efforts by telecom giants are reshaping the legislative landscape to facilitate rapid deployment of 5G and mmWave antennas, while bypassing community oversight. Under FCC Order 18-133 and other related provisions, companies are now allowed to install “small cell” 5G antennas on streetlamps, schools, and homes with little to no local planning oversight. New proposed legislation seeks to codify this across states, stripping communities of the right to object, demand safety data, or even be informed of installations. In some areas, antennas have appeared within metres of bedrooms (a recent study published in Medinsk Toegang, documents the harms to human health following the installation of a 5G mast on a block of flats), with no obligation for consultation. This raises profound ethical concerns about informed consent, public health protections, and the erosion of local democratic processes as profit is prioritised over people’s health.

At Federal level in the US, Section 40002 has been quietly slipped into HR 1, President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which gives the  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) new legal powers, that unless amended or deleted, will trigger provisions that allow telecoms to place an unlimited number of antennas on existing antenna structures without notice or approval.

The blatant lack of respect for those being harmed by technologies that have become an integral part of everyday life, is starkly illustrated by tech companies’ warnings to their shareholders of the potential harms to human health and the significant risk of ensuing class actions. But they don’t communicate this to the public who are their end users. Insurers rank the risks from 5G and electromagnetic radiation on the same level as asbestos leading many to add exclusion clauses to their policies.

>>> More Radiation, Brought to You By Congress

The health issues being swept under the rug

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are invisible, odourless, and silent, making them easy to ignore. Industry-funded studies and regulatory bodies like the World Health Organization often claim there’s no consistent evidence of harm at current exposure levels. But dig deeper, and the narrative changes. The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection classifies EMFs as a Class 2B Possible Carcinogen. Landmark studies, such as the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) and Italy’s Ramazzini Institute, found evidence of cancer (eg, gliomas and heart schwannomas) in rodents exposed to EMFs. Three recent critiques, Frank et al, Di Ciaula et al, Hardell & Nilsson (2025)  published by international experts, show that a recent World Health Organization review of mobile phone radiation declaring mobile phones don’t pose a health hazard, is unsafe due to critical errors, omissions and conflicts of interest.

Such findings raise major concerns about 5G, which uses higher, far less-studied frequencies—and we already know what mmWaves are capable of through its military use.

The absence of comprehensive 5G-specific studies, especially on mmWaves, leaves us caught in the web of a dangerous experiment with not just human health as the guinea pig but that of the inhabitants of the environment around us from plants and insects to larger animals, sea life, dolphins, whales and beyond. Digital and technological progress, regardless of risk.

>>> Watch ‘5G – The Untold Story’

A toxic wake-up call: It’s not just about dose

Toxicology’s old adage, “the dose makes the poison”, is quite right, but needs to take into account the totality of exposure, not a single exposure at a time. Modern exposures are chronic, low-level, and multi-layered. Even so-called “safe” levels can harm sensitive populations when compounded by:

• The totality of radio and electromagnetic frequencies exposure
• Nutrient deficient diets
• Synthetic chemicals
• Chronic stress
• Poor sleep

Biological response depends on frequency, duration, and individual vulnerability. Yet regulators cling to obsolete models that fail to reflect the totality of our 21st-century reality.

What most people don’t realise is that 5G isn’t replacing existing networks, it’s layering on top of them. 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, smart meters, wearables, connected household devices, lightbulbs, cars, satellites and even toys. Each new device adding to the ambient electromagnetic field we now inhabit. The result is a continuous bath of low-level radiation, often referred to as electrosmog.

Current safety assessments fail to account for this cumulative load, focusing on one device or frequency at a time. Yet most of us live in environments where we are continuously bathed in a cocktail of pulsed, low-level radiation from dozens of overlapping sources—day and night. Many peer-reviewed studies point to non-thermal harmful health effects such as:

• Oxidative stress
• DNA damage
• Sperm dysfunction
• Neurological disturbances
• Blood-brain barrier permeability

The reality is we now inhabit homes, workplaces, and public spaces that function like giant microwave chambers, with zero regulatory assessment of the cumulative, chronic exposure.

Phones vs other devices: which emits more?

When people think of radiation, they often think only of smartphones. While phones do emit high levels of radiation when in use, the total exposure picture is more complex.

Constantly connected devices like Wi-Fi routers, smart meters, bluetooth-enabled appliances, smart TVs, and wearables emit pulses 24/7, often while in close proximity to the body or during our body’s regenerative time during sleep. Unlike mobile phones, which reduce output when not in use, many IoT devices emit at regular intervals regardless of activity. The cumulative exposure from dozens of such devices in a modern home can easily exceed that of a phone call. Yet regulators continue to test emissions in isolation, ignoring aggregate effects.

Table: EMF Emissions of Common Wireless Devices

Table Notes

• SAR (Specific Absorption Rate): Measured in watts per kilogram (W/kg), reflects RF energy absorbed by the body. Values are based on FCC limits (1.6 W/kg in the U.S., 2.0 W/kg in Europe) and manufacturer data. Devices like Wi-Fi routers and smart meters have negligible SAR due to typical usage distance (*N/A).
• Power Density: Measured in microwatts per square meter (μW/m²), reflects ambient EMF intensity at typical usage distances. Values are estimates from studies (e.g., Urbinello et al., 2014) and vary based on device settings and environment.

The table reveals the hidden burden of electrosmog from devices we use daily. Smartphones, with their high SAR and proximity to the body, are the largest contributors to personal exposure, while Wi-Fi routers and smart meters amplify ambient EMF levels in our homes. Vulnerable populations, like children or those with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), face disproportionate risks. As ANH International has long argued, the precautionary principle must guide our approach until independent, long-term studies clarify the true impact of this electrosmog.

The invisible burden: EMFs and chemical pollutants in a toxic cocktail

Modern humans are now exposed to hundreds of synthetic chemicals daily—from pesticides to flame retardants to microplastics. Separately, EMFs are also known stressors. But what happens when these two exposures interact?

The truth is, we don’t know, because they’re not studied together. Regulatory toxicology tends to test one variable at a time, under short-term conditions, and often on healthy adult models. But the real world is messy. We live with a synergistic toxic load, and there’s mounting concern that EMFs may amplify the effects of chemical pollutants by:

• Disrupting cell membrane function
• Weakening detoxification enzymes
• Increasing blood-brain barrier permeability
• Elevating oxidative stress
• All of this burdens the body’s biotransformation capacity—its ability to neutralize and excrete toxins.

Beyond humans: the ecological toll

The environment is not immune. Studies have documented impacts on:

• Bees and other insects – disorientation and colony collapse
• Birds – navigation and nesting disruption
• Plants – growth abnormalities under chronic exposure
• Soil microbes – essential for agriculture and ecosystem health

Just as we once ignored the subtle effects of pesticides, we risk repeating history with digital pollution—this time with invisible radiation.

Time to reclaim health sovereignty in a digitally saturated world

As Big Tech, telecom companies, and captured regulators race to blanket the Earth in radiation, from cities to rural farms to outer space, the question becomes not can we, but should we?

It’s up to us to demand:

• The precautionary principle be reinstated in environmental and health policy
• Independent scientific review of EMF safety standards
• Community control over 5G antenna siting
• Transparency in legislation and corporate lobbying
• Support for those with electrohypersensitivity and chemical sensitivity

We do not need to reject the progress of technology. But we must insist on safety, transparency, and choice. The invisible infrastructure we build today will shape the biological future of generations to come. It’s time we stopped blindly trusting and started consciously choosing.

Let’s ensure we build it with eyes—and hearts—wide open.

Further reading & resources

• De 5G disconnect - het grootste ongecontroleerde experiment van de volgende generatie?

• 5G – a public health tragedy in the making?

• "Er zijn geen veiligheidsstudies" zeggen 5G-experts

• Physicians for Safe Technology

• Environmental Health Trust

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