For Release: Thursday, August 6, 2020

Contact: Zoe Berg (516) 883-0887

5G Crisis – A Project of Americans for Responsible Technology.

Press Release

Experts Say Agency is Ignoring Risks to Human Health, Wildlife and the Environment in its Rush to Fast-Track 5G

(New York) In a letter submitted to the Federal Communications (FCC) on August 5, 2020 more than 700 medical professionals and scientific experts from across the country have called for the agency to stop its incipient approval of commercial use of high spectrum bands for 5G communication until independent scientists have been consulted about the wide array of potential effects such action may have on humans, wildlife and the environment.

“Humans interfere with nature at our peril, and the agency’s apparent disregard for the potential impacts of dramatically expanding the use of these high-frequency bands on our natural world is deeply disturbing,” the letter states. “We urge the Commission, in the strongest possible terms, to proactively seek the guidance of scientific experts who can enlighten agency officials regarding the possible and probable consequences of its proposed actions.”

The experts cite independent scientific studies showing that high frequency radiofrequency transmissions can interfere with the navigational ability of insects, birds and other animals that use earth’s magnetic fields for orientation, as well as other studies showing that certain frequencies can also cause biological and physiological harm to honey bees. Some studies have linked increasing exposure to radiofrequency radiation with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

“Every day, scientists are learning more about how wireless radiation can adversely impact our natural world,” says Zoe Berg, Project Manager for non-profit Americans for Responsible Technology, which helped coordinate signatories for the letter. “So it’s disheartening, and more than a little frightening, that the FCC is either unaware of such research or just unconcerned about it. American taxpayers deserve an FCC that prioritizes public health and the protection of the environment over the desires of private companies.”

The professional signatories were joined by more than 1,700 additional citizens calling for the FCC to delay action on Docket No. 20-133.