The electromagnetic radiation you are exposed to near an operating microwave oven is far greater than that of a 5G cell tower, according to research by MyBroadband.
despite what microwave radiation turned out to be much higher, remained within the safety limits of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
A researcher went to several 5G cell phone antennas to check whether the electromagnetic radiation they emit poses any danger to people around them. For comparison, he also measured the radiation emitted by a microwave oven and a Wi-Fi router.
ICNIRP sets safe reference levels for the general public with the following power densities. As the frequency of the electromagnetic wave increases, the safe energy density threshold increases:
- 900 MHz – 4.5 W / m2
- 1.8 GHz – 9 W / m2
- 1.9 GHz – 9.5 W / m2
- 2.0 GHz + – 10 W / m2
To get an idea of ​​the environmental electromagnetic radiation we’re exposed to, they took a street reference reading, in a neighborhood of the city. varied measures between 0.002 and 0.004 W / m2.
They then performed measurements at different distances from a mobile phone tower, and the highest reading around the tower was 0.004 W / m2, totally within what is considered normal.
Remember that the radiation measurement was taken from the ground, which is where people move, not from the top of the mast.
As a final test, the researcher performed some readings around a microwave. Measurements taken directly in front of the microwave door were 4 W / m2, getting at 8W / m2 in a few small gaps along the edges of the door.
This value is very close to, but still below the ICNIRP safety limit of 10W / m2 at 2.45GHz.
Remember that ICNIRP guidelines refer to levels that should be averaged over 30 minutes across the body.
“This evidence indicates that current RF exposure levels are below what are considered safe levels.”, concludes the MyBroadband researcher. “Devices like microwaves, which have been around for more than 50 years, should be of more concern than some new technologies like 5G mobile networks.”
The following table provides an indicative summary of the readings taken during this experiment.
| Test | Power density (W / mtwo) |
|---|---|
| 4G / 5G tower | 0.004 W / mtwo |
| WIFI router | 0.8 W / mtwo |
| Microwave – 1 meter | 0.03 W / mtwo – 0.05 W / mtwo |
| Microwave – in front of the door | 4 W / mtwo |
| Microwave – In the door hole | 8 W / mtwo |
| ICNIRP security limit to 2 GHz + | 10 W / mtwo |