3 ms·

Keep in mind that the EM field described in that study is quite strong and the transmitter is very close (actually in contact with the patient's skin). They tal

Keep in mind that the EM field described in that study is quite strong and the transmitter is very close (actually in contact with the patient's skin). They talk about field intensities of 0.6V/cm. That means that if you put the two probes of a multimeter in the air separated by 1cm, it would read 0.6V. That's quite a lot. I'm not sure how to translate that to RF power, but it is many orders of magnitude more intense than what you could ever expect to receive from a mobile phone tower. Radio receivers are basically very fast and very sensitive voltmeters that work with field strengths on the order of microvolts per meter.

jcims 5y ago
Totally agree there's extremely limited risk here from towers. The broader issue to me is that all of the conspiracy talk and bizarre science fiction around the topic of 5G (or vaccines or flat earth) has created a sort of conversational countermeasure where its acceptable to clap back and shut the topic down any time people appear to be wandering in those woods. As a result, some folks with legitimate questions and concerns end up frustrated and looking for answers elsewhere. Endless patience for off the wall ideas isn't a sustainable option either, so I'm not claiming to have all the answers, I just wish we were maybe a step or two in that direction.
- lumost 5y ago
  I asked for more details on the implication as the parent quote > what's happening to that energy? The common wisdom would say it heats up but that's not guaranteed. As the first and second laws of thermodynamics are well understood and tested theoretical principals that have been experimentally and theoretically verified for ~170 years, there is far more than "the common wisdom" backing the expectation that the system would heat up. A common conversational tactic to lead the conversation into conspiracy territory is to cast unsubstantiated doubt on a settled topic - then frame the orthodox view as something pushed by an "establishment". A far more interesting discussion emerges when data is presented, or absent data a plausible mechanism for harm. There is nothing wrong with studying the biological effects of EM fields. We certainly know that small quantities of Benzene, or Arsenic have large impacts on biological organisms - and that biological organisms react to certain portions of the EM spectrum in complex manners e.g. Visible light, and infrared. However we do have some good bounds on how much impact there can be and where it is likely to emerge based on ~120 years of radio spectrum deployments.

jcims 5y ago

Totally agree there's extremely limited risk here from towers. The broader issue to me is that all of the conspiracy talk and bizarre science fiction around the topic of 5G (or vaccines or flat earth) has created a sort of conversational countermeasure where its acceptable to clap back and shut the topic down any time people appear to be wandering in those woods. As a result, some folks with legitimate questions and concerns end up frustrated and looking for answers elsewhere. Endless patience for off the wall ideas isn't a sustainable option either, so I'm not claiming to have all the answers, I just wish we were maybe a step or two in that direction.

lumost 5y ago
I asked for more details on the implication as the parent quote > what's happening to that energy? The common wisdom would say it heats up but that's not guaranteed. As the first and second laws of thermodynamics are well understood and tested theoretical principals that have been experimentally and theoretically verified for ~170 years, there is far more than "the common wisdom" backing the expectation that the system would heat up. A common conversational tactic to lead the conversation into conspiracy territory is to cast unsubstantiated doubt on a settled topic - then frame the orthodox view as something pushed by an "establishment". A far more interesting discussion emerges when data is presented, or absent data a plausible mechanism for harm. There is nothing wrong with studying the biological effects of EM fields. We certainly know that small quantities of Benzene, or Arsenic have large impacts on biological organisms - and that biological organisms react to certain portions of the EM spectrum in complex manners e.g. Visible light, and infrared. However we do have some good bounds on how much impact there can be and where it is likely to emerge based on ~120 years of radio spectrum deployments.