MWF Archives - EMFSA

Microwave News: 5G Waveforms in Dispute

Editor — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 23:22:04 +0000

Source: https://microwavenews.com/short-takes-archive/5g-waveforms-dispute

5G Waveforms: We Need To Know More – Controversy over Averaging Times

Ken Foster & Niels Kuster Disagree on Averaging Times

Very little has been written in the popular media about the waveforms used in 5G signals. Two outstanding questions are: How fast are the pulses? How powerful are they?

In 2018, Esra Neufeld and Niels Kuster of the IT’IS Foundation in Zurich issued a warning in a paper in Health Physics, urging that existing exposure standards be revised with shorter averaging times to address potential thermal damage from short and strong pulses:

In a letter to the journal, Ken Foster of the University of Pennsylvania countered that their claims do not hold up:

(Neufeld and Kuster’s response to Foster is here.)

In its proposed revision of its own RF rules, issued last December, the U.S. FCC appeared to side with Kuster, expressing concern over the many wireless devices that “transmit in short bursts.

Will the FCC formalize the new averaging times in its final RF rules, or follow the MWF request and scrap them? Stay tuned

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5G misinformation campaign by the Mobile & Wireless Forum (MWF)

Editor — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 14:13:26 +0000

Re-posted from ‘Between A Rock and a Hard Place” – A Science Blog on Radiation and Health by Dariusz Leszczynski

5G misinformation campaign by the Mobile & Wireless Forum (MWF)

In August 2019, the Mobile & Wireless Forum (MWF), formerly known as MMF, published a graphic illustration of what is known about potential effects of millimeter waves on human health.

Here, the link to the original MWF pdf: MWF on mmWaves 2019_08_13

The MWF, based on this graphic illustration, aims to assure that there will be no health problems whatsoever following the deployment of the 5G wireless networks and activation of the millimeter wave using technology.

However, there are two major problems with the health safety assurances provided by the MWF.

10 October 2018, ITU Workshop: Policies, guidelines, regulations and assessments of human exposure to RF-EMF

Editor — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 20:53:35 +0000

IMT-2020 (5G) and the electromagnetic field – ITU shares the latest global information

The workshop took place in the framework of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D) Study Group 2 Question 7/2 during the ITU-D Study Group 2 meetings. Question 7/2 refers to the study on strategies and policies concerning human exposure to electromagnetic fields. ITU has developed several recommendations on the issue and Member States are encouraged to utilize them at the national level.

International experts from various organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Mobile & Wireless Forum (MWF), and representatives from administrations and other organizations, presented the latest information on exposure to electromagnetic fields and health, policies, updated guidelines and regulations.

The workshop presented the latest information on the review of the 1998 ICNIRP EMF human exposure guidelines, which serves as a global reference for setting levels of electromagnetic field exposure, and testing of EMF in the context of International Mobile Telecommunications for 2020 (IMT-2020)/5G.

ITU’s approach to 5G

Testing of EMF standards is undertaken in various settings around the world and initial results show that EMF levels for mobile technologies, including 5G, are generally below the existing ICNIRP guidelines. The revised draft ICNIRP guidelines, targeted to protect people exposed to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields, were open for public consultation and comments until 9 October 2018, the eve of the workshop.

Key outcomes from the workshop include:
• Both ITU and WHO encouraged the adoption of harmonized EMF exposure limits based on the Guidelines of ICNIRP.
• With regards to the review of the existing ICNIRP Guidelines, a thorough review of the scientific literature has taken place. While some changes are likely to be recommended, the essential basis for the exposure limits will remain the same and the conservative nature of the guidelines was reaffirmed by ICNIRP.
• It was noted that in the past few years ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have delivered standards and recommendations for EMF assessments of IMT-2020 (5G).
• It was noted that adoption of lower EMF exposure limits is likely to stifle innovation and deployment of networks and may impact on proven social, security and economic benefits that the technology provides to the community.
• Countries reaffirmed that they continue to invest in research in the area of EMF and are moving towards international harmonization of EMF exposure limits.

The workshop report and presentations are available here.

The archived webcast of the workshop is available here.

Pictures from the workshop are available here.

This article has been prepared in collaboration with workshop speakers.

The image below is from a presentation by Mr Eric Van Rongen, Chairman of ICNIRP D07160000020001PDFE(2)

Comment by EMFSA:

This workshop can be summed up by the one statement:

“It was noted that adoption of lower EMF exposure limits is likely to stifle innovation and deployment of networks and may impact on proven social, security and economic benefits that the technology provides to the community.”

Which by itself excludes all other considerations, in other words the purpose of the workshop was to support the thermal limits!

We call it the ICNIRP / Industry motto!

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