5G networks

[deathsled]

My dad (going on 92 years of age) gave me a "cell phone" earful this evening for two hours about potential health risks of 5G cell phone usage.  He's pretty sharp for 91 apparently and is well aware of 40 foot towers that will be going up everywhere including front lawns between the sidewalk and the street of some communities.  Apparently they are putting these mini towers up without notifying residents.  Anyone have an opinion on 5G proliferation and potential health risks?  Any electronics majors here or doctors on this site?  Popular mantra is that it is non ionizing radiation so it is okay.  I'm not so sure it's okay for perhaps other undisclosed reasons that Scientific American touched upon.  But I finished the conversation with the contention that he offered no viable solution, only pointed to a problem.  I need a phone for business so in the end, it didn't matter whether it did or didn't cause ill effects.

[Side-Oilers]

^^^^Agree 100% !!!

[2112]

^^^^Agree 100% !!!

+2

[deathsled]

Lol! Gonna order my tin foil hat too. Reality though with health considerations aside, said mini towers will impact your property value and not in a good way. I may do a FOIA for town to find out where they plan or if they plan to put up these 40 foot gems.

[cj750]

A few things to unpack here:
Regarding the health effects, a number of individuals and organizations have made a variety of alarming claims about 5G, for varied reasons, but none are based on any competent scientific evidence. I won't go into all the details about why these claims are unfounded, but here's a good explanation for anyone interested: https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4677
As for the FOIA request, good luck, but it probably won't do much good. It's out of local government's hands. The Feds have decreed that Telecoms may deploy their 5G technology in existing rights-of-way, including installing the necessary equipment on existing poles and public infrastructure, and cities and counties aren't allowed to say no, or even enact a temporary moratorium to study the best way to implement the roll-out of 5G in their community. The National League of Cities and others fought the FCC long and hard to retain local control, but the Telecom lobby is far more powerful (read better funded) than the local government lobby.
I wouldn't expect to see many 40-foot towers for 5G though. In most jurisdictions, structures of that height will require building permits the FCC are powerless to override. That will usually require notification to surrounding property owners, publication of legal notice, and a public hearing of some sort. All of which add delay and uncertainty which the wireless providers would prefer to avoid. Accordingly, most 5G equipment has been designed specifically to be compact enough to permit installation on existing poles or towers, or if new poles are needed, they'll typically be the size and height of standard telephone poles, avoiding the need for city or county permits. Any larger towers will likely be only as a last resort where no other viable alternatives exist.
But as far as their ability to put up smaller towers and equipment boxes in existing rights-of-way, and the potential negative effects on property values that may have, that's all accurate. It won't do any harm to talk to your local planning and engineering department representatives to see what insights they may have, but I'll pretty much guarantee they're just as frustrated by it as anyone.