5G radiation – world-first study

5G radiation – world-first study

Can wireless radiation from a 5G base station affect the health of people living nearby?

Can it cause symptoms like sleep problems, dizziness, heart palpitations and breathing problems?

The answer is yes, according to the results of the first study in the world to investigate the effects of this exposure.

The study was conducted by Professor Lennart Hardell, an oncologist at Örebro University Hospital, and Mona Nilsson from the Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation. It investigated the symptoms a man and his wife developed following the installation of a 5G base station on the roof of their apartment.

The couple, in their early 60s, had lived in the apartment for ten years, generally enjoying good health. The apartment had a base station on the roof with 3G and 4G antennas. In November 2021, the base station was upgraded to 5G and almost immediately afterwards both the man and the woman developed a raft of symptoms that were so severe that the couple moved from the apartment shortly afterwards.

After the 5G was activated, the man’s existing problems of hypertension, tinnitus and nosebleeds worsened, and he developed fatigue, sleeping problems and emotional lability. His symptoms reduced or completely disappeared within a day of moving from the apartment.

The woman developed more symptoms than her partner. ‘Most pronounced was difficulty sleeping and dizziness, followed by skin problems (burning sensation, tingling in the skin of hands and arms), difficulty concentrating, irritability, tinnitus, balance problems, impaired short-term memory, confusion, fatigue, tendency to depression, heart and lung symptoms, … palpitations, feeling of heaviness over the chest and feeling of warmth in the body.’ The majority of her symptoms reduced or completely disappeared within three days of the move to the new home.

These symptoms are consistent with ‘microwave syndrome’, a condition described by Russian researchers as early as the 1970s. It includes symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, headaches and sleeping, concentration and memory problems. The same symptoms are often described as ‘electromagnetic hypersensitivity’ (EHS) and were also reported among embassy staff afflicted by the so-called ‘Havana Syndrome’.

Hardell and Nilsson say that it is likely that the incidence of microwave syndrome will increase with the expansion of 5G and other wireless technologies.

The researchers also found that, when the 5G was turned on, the amount of radiation in the couple’s home increased dramatically - from 9000 to 1,690,000 microwatts per metre squared (µW/m2) measured at the couple’s bed, directly below the base station.

These levels are considerably lower than the limits of the Swedish radiation standard of 10,000,000 µW/m2. The Swedish radiation standard, like Australia’s standard, protects against the heating effects of radiation. The authors say that the Swedish standard ‘only protects against immediate effects caused by such intense radiation that tissues heat up within 30 minutes. This means that the public is completely unprotected against effects other than acute thermal effects, even though these have been shown, including harmful effects on the nervous system, oxidative stress and DNA damage.’

The study’s findings point to the medical implication of exposure to wireless radiation. Hardell and Nilsson say, ‘Microwave syndrome and EHS must be taken seriously by health care professionals. This is not a mental illness. Several somatic symptoms are included in microwave syndrome and chronic diseases, including cancer, are risks factors of chronic exposure.’

The authors advise health practitioners to take careful histories of their patients and to consider the impact of their exposure to wireless radiation at home and work. 

Hardell, L and Nilsson, M, ‘Microwave radiation from base stations on rooftops gave medical symptoms consistent with microwave syndrome’, Medicinsk Access no. 1/2022

Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation


What can you do?

  • Don’t buy 5G devices! They don’t just expose you to 5G radiation, but they support and encourage the rollout of 5G antennas.

  • Find out how to protect yourself from wireless radiation, including 5G, in our online course.

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