A new study shows that exposure to 3.5 GHz used in 5G reduces bone strength and flexibility in animal experiments, even though the exposure was well below the ICNIRP limits that are claimed to protect against all health risks. In addition, increased oxidative stress was observed in skeletal muscle tissues.
3.5 GHz is a frequency that is largely used for 5G in cities and towns today. Although 5G has been deployed and launched since 2020, there are still only a few studies on the effects of exposure to 5G, in particular the complex mix of different frequencies, modulations and fast pulses that people are exposed to in real life through the deployment of 5G.
The new study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Turkey. It is one of the few studies to date to examine the effects of exposure to the 3.5 GHz 5G frequency. The researchers exposed experimental animals (rats) for 2 hours every day for 30 days to a radiation level of 1.6 W/m2, meaning that the radiation was significantly below the ICNIRP limits of 10 W/m2 averaged over 6 minutes. To study effects on diabetes, one group of the exposed and unexposed groups consisted of rats with diabetes.
The researchers’ focus was to investigate the effects of 3.5 GHz on skeletal muscle tissue and on bone. Bone consists mainly of two composite materials consisting of minerals and collagen. The mechanical properties of these materials differ from each other: minerals give the bone strength while collagen gives the bone resistance to mechanical forces, durability and some flexibility.
Previous research has shown that similar radiation has adverse effects on different tissues and that bone tissue is sensitive to radiation. For example, researchers have noted a reduction in mineral levels in bone after exposure to 1.8 GHz.
Reduced bone strength
Exposure to 3.5 GHz for two hours a day for 30 days at 1.6 W/m2 caused a reduction in both bone flexibility and bone strength in healthy rats. The ICNIRP limits applied by most governments and recommended by the WHO is much higher, 10 W/m2 averaged over 6 minutes.
The results obtained also suggest a reduction in bone mineralisation and bone tissue durability.
Furthermore, the researchers observed evidence that the radiation exposure caused oxidative stress in the skeletal muscles and these negative effects were greater in the diabetic animals.
The researchers’ conclusion
The researchers conclude that the study showed that exposure to 3.5 GHz can have negative effects on bone biomechanics. Diabetic rats may be more susceptible to the dangerous effects, with significant changes observed in oxidative stress parameters. These observations suggest that exposure to 3.5 GHz could potentially compromise bone quality and structural integrity and affect oxidative stress parameters in the muscles of rats. More research is needed to investigate the potential effects on human health, especially for people with pre-existing medical conditions.
Previous 5G study
In October 2022, the same research group published the results of a similar animal study with the same exposure to 3.5 GHz that was GSM modulated: 2 hours per day, 5 days a week for 30 days. The exposure caused an increased incidence of damaged nerve cells which, according to the researchers, could lead to dementia in the long term. It also affected various hormones that have a protective effect on the nervous system.
The first three case studies of the health effects of 5G were published during January – April 2023 and were conducted by Mona Nilsson from the Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation in collaboration with researcher Dr Lennart Hardell from the Swedish Research Foundation Environment & Cancer. The three case studies showed that the installation of 5G base stations caused symptoms of the microwave syndrome and in several cases the symptoms were so severe that continued stay in the home became impossible for the studied persons. The studies also showed that the installation of 5G base stations near people’s homes leads to extremely high levels of radiation, well above the levels previously shown to cause similar symptoms after exposure to previous generations of mobile phones (2G, 3G).
There are no studies showing that 5G does not cause harmful health impacts as far as we know. 5G has been rolled out and is forcibly exposing people in their own homes without any prior research on the impact on human and animal health. 430 scientists and doctors who signed the 5G Appeal rightly pointed out that there was no research on the effects of 5G and therefore called for a moratorium on 5G as it should first be ensured that 5G does not harm human health and the environment.
Source: Bektas et al. 2023: 3.5 GHz radiofrequency radiation may affect biomechanics of bone and muscle of diabetics. Full text
