5G refers to the fifth generation of mobile technology that promises faster browsing, streaming, and download speeds, as well as better connectivity. 5G is like a natural evolution for our increasingly tech-reliant society. While 5G is gradually being adopted, 6G and & 7G technology is already being developed and tested in countries like China and India.

Besides allowing us to stream the latest movies, 5G has been designed to increase capacity and reduce latency, which is the time that it takes for devices to communicate with each other.For integrated applications, such as robotics, self-driving cars, and medical devices, these changes will play a big part in how quickly we adopt technology into our daily lives.

The mainstay of 5G technology will be the use of higher-frequency bandwidths, right across the radiofrequency spectrum.

In the United States, the Federal Communications has auctioned off the first bandwidth, 28 gigahertz (GHz), that will form the 5G network, with higher bandwidth auctions scheduled for the late part of 2019.

Impacts Of 5G On Human Health.

In this special editorial, we will look at what electromagnetic radiation is, how it can impact human health, the controversy surrounding radiofrequency networks, and what this means for the advent of 5G technology.

Electromagnetic Radiation

An electromagnetic field (EMF) is a field of energy that results from electromagnetic radiation, a form of energy that occurs as a result of the flow of electricity. Electric fields exist wherever there are power lines or outlets, whether the electricity is switched on or not. Magnetic fields are created only when electric currents flow. Together, these produce EMFs.

Electromagnetic radiation exists as a spectrum of different wavelengths and frequencies, which are measured in hertz (Hz). This term denotes the number of cycles per second.

Power lines operate between 50 and 60 Hz, which is at the lower end of the spectrum. These low-frequency waves, together with radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, and some of the ultraviolet spectrum,which take us into the megahertz (MHz), GHz, and terahertz spectra which make up what is known as nonionizing radiation.

Above this lie the petahertz and exahertz spectra, which include X-rays and gamma rays. These are types of ionizing radiation, which mean that they carry sufficient energy to break apart molecules and cause significant damage to the human body.

Radiofrequency EMFs (RF-EMFs) include all wavelengths from 30 kilohertz to 300 GHz. For the general public, exposure to RF-EMFs is mostly from handheld devices, such as cell phones and tablets, as well as from cell phone base stations, medical applications, and TV antennas.

The most well-established biological effect of RF-EMFs is heating.High doses of RF-EMFs can lead to a rise in the temperature of the exposed tissues, leading to burns and other damage. But heating also causes gene mutations and damage to the DNa in cells besides causing other cellular malfunctions.

But mobile devices emit RF-EMFs at low levels. But low RF-EMFs over times still causes cellular damage. Whether this is a cause for concern is a matter of ongoing debate, reignited by the arrival of 5G.