Skip to main content

Natural Awakenings Milwaukee Magazine

5G Wireless Technology to be Deployed Across Wisconsin

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has signed a bill that could speed the introduction of faster wireless service known as 5G (fifth generation) to the state. 5G legislation moved quickly through the state legislature this spring, and the industry claims that 5G could mean better cell phone connections and faster movie downloads. But Wisconsin For Safe Technology, an environmental group that has been monitoring the impacts of 5G towers on human health and the environment, cites myriad peer-reviewed studies that linked exposure to wireless radiation with a long list of acute and chronic health problems including cancer, neurological and cognitive harm, infertility, anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s and behavioral issues.

“Wireless technology has been proven [to be] biologically harmful to humans in thousands of independent scientific studies, including the premier FDA-ordered, 10-year, $30 million U.S. National Toxicology Program study on 2G and 3G wireless technology. The results from last November showed clear evidence of cancer, DNA damage and fetal effects,” states Elaine Unger of Wisconsin For Safe Technology in a press release. “So deploying 5G without rigorous safety-testing and updated biologically-protective safety limits is irresponsible. Children are especially vulnerable to wireless radiation exposure because of their developing brains and bodies.”

Act 14 will lead to the deployment of 5G-enabled cellular antennas inside neighborhoods installed on utility and light poles, buildings and bus stops, spaced two to 10 homes apart in residential neighborhoods, and near schools, day care centers and workplaces across Wisconsin.

Numerous letters and emails have been sent to Gov. Evers from concerned Wisconsinites, and from medical and scientific experts including Dr. Devra Davis (an award-winning writer and scientist), Dr. Paul Héroux (McGill University of Medicine), Dr. Lennart Hardell (Dept. of Oncology, Örebro University), Dr. Ronald M. Powell (retired U.S. Government scientist), and Dr. Angie Colbeck (board-certified pediatrician) all citing the dangers and concerns, and requesting that Gov. Evers study the issues first before passing the bill. In his email to Gov. Evers dated July 3, Powell said: “We in the scientific community have every reason to believe that the radiofrequency radiation produced by 5G will harm human health.”

Héroux, director of the Occupational Health Program at McGill University in Montreal, has studied the effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation on the body for more than 30 years. He has expressed concern over a 5G unit beaming a signal into homes. Links to Héroux’s study and other peer-reviewed research on EMFs can be found on Wisconsin For Safe Technology’s website, WisconsinSafeTech.com, along with ways to take action and a sample phone message to leave for your representatives. To contact your local, state and federal representatives, visit USA.gov/elected-officials. Attend a free, online summit about 5G wireless technology at The5GSummit.com.