Cut and paste everything in the block under this into your email. Then copy ONE OR TWO of the numbered points (or however many you choose just NOT ALL OF THEM) and copy them into your email and if possible, try to add in your own words. This is because Government hates form letters and tends to disregard them.
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Email to: rapid@dtps.gov.za
The Acting Director-General, Department of Communications and Digital
Technologies
For attention: Mr. A Wiltz, Chief Director, Telecommunications and IT Policy
rapid@dtps.gov.za; Cell: 0837140126 (Mr. L Motlatla)
RE: COMMENTS ON PROPOSED POLICY AND POLICY DIRECTION ON RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS AND FACILITIES
When the ‘advancement as a country in the 4th Industrial Revolution’ becomes a danger to the health of people and environment.
I hereby object to the above policy and policy direction based on the following grounds:
[INSERT YOUR NUMBERED POINTS FROM THE LIST BELOW THE LINE UNDER THIS, HERE])
We look forward to your prompt response to this legitimate concern and hereby call for a moratorium on the roll-out of 5G and using the Precautionary Principle until Government has conducted independent (not funded by industry with vested interests) studies to prove its safety) and that an effective safety, monitoring and regulation policy has been establish.
Signed: SA Citizen
NUMBERED POINTS – REMEMBER TO only copy and paste some points not all of them and also you will then need to remove the paragraph numbers in your email submission.
The erection of cell masts in close proximity to where we live, work and play, violates our Section 24 constitutional right to:
- An environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being. The untested 5G technology has been proven by science that the radiation from cell masts is harmful to our health. (See here for scientific reports: https://ehtrust.org/scientific-research-on-5g-and-health/)
- To have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that—
(i) prevent pollution and ecological degradation;
(ii) promote conservation; and
(iii) secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.
Regarding these points (i)(ii) and (iii) under (2) above, the roll-out of 5G technology will:
(i) rather than prevent ecological degradation 5g technology in fact enhances it because it will be inescapable to all life on earth; there is no ‘opting out’ or getting away from it; (A 2018 study published in Annals of Telecommunications found increased RF-EMF exposure from small cell LTE networks in two urban cities in France and the Netherlands. Researchers measured the RF-EMF from LTE (Long-Term Evolution) MC (macro cells meaning large cell towers) and SC networks (low-powered small cell base stations) and found that the small cell networks increased the radio emissions from base stations (called downlink) by a factor of 7–46 while decreasing the radio emissions from user equipment exposure (called ) by a factor of 5–17. So while the devices themselves could emit less radiation, the cell antennas will increase the levels from cell antennas (Mazloum et al., 2019). This study shows the increased exposures would be involuntary. We can turn our phones off, but we cannot turn off the antennas in the neighborhood.)
(ii) again 5G technology destroys conservation of trees, birds etc., rather than conserve it; See here for the results of a symposium regarding the effects of 5G on Birds, Bees, and Humanity.
(iii) As shown but the somewhat reckless and certainly unbalanced manner in which the Government is rolling out 5G technology without our consultation or consent, Government is clearly more in favour of developing the profits of the telecoms companies, rather than protecting to our health and safety.
Other Factors for Opposing the Current Role-Out of 5G
- It has never been tested and proven safe, the erection of its technology violates twelve international codes and policies including :
The Nuremberg Code (1947)applies to all experiments on humans, thus including the deployment of 5G with new, higher RF radiation exposure that has not been pre-market tested for safety. “The voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential” (art. 1). Exposure to 5G will be involuntary. “No experiment should be conducted, where there is an a priori reason to believe that death or disabling injury will occur” (art. 5). The findings of over 10,000 scientific studies and the voices of hundreds of international organizations representing hundreds of thousands of members who have suffered disabling injury and been displaced from their homes by already-existing wireless telecommunications facilities, are “a priori reasons to believe that death or disabling injury will occur”.
- There is no effective legislative procedure in place to guide, monitor or redress 5G electro-magnetic radiation. South Africa adheres to the ICNIRP guidelines which the independent scientific research shows is inadequate and ineffectual; (See A 2020 European Parliament Briefing on the “Effects of 5G wireless communication on human health” reiterates the issues with measurements and also comments on how radiation limits are outdated stating in this summary, “The EU’s current provisions on exposure to wireless signals, the Council Recommendation on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0 Hz to 300 GHz), is now 20 years old, and thus does not take the specific technical characteristics of 5G into account” (Karaboytcheva, 2020).
- Studies show that radiofrequency (RF) radiation in the frequency range of 30 kHz-300 GHz (the range for 5G) is classified as a ‘possible’ human carcinogen, Group 2B, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) since 2011.The above evidence has since then been strengthened by further research; thus, RF radiation may now be classified as a human carcinogen, Group 1. In spite of this, microwave radiations are expanding with increasing personal and ambient exposure. One contributing factor is that the majority of countries rely on guidelines formulated by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), a private German non-governmental organization. ICNIRP relies on the evaluation only of thermal (heating) effects from RF radiation, thereby excluding a large body of published science demonstrating the detrimental effects caused by non-thermal radiation.
- 5G will add significantly to the current electro-magnetic radiation we already have from mobile phone masts, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, wearable devices, smart meters, and other ‘smart’ devices. (See A 2018 multi-country study published in Environment International measured RF in several countries. It found that cell phone tower radiation is the dominant contributor to RF exposure in most outdoor areas; exposure in urban areas was higher and that exposure has drastically increased. As an example, the measurements the researchers took in Los Angeles, USA were 70 times higher than the US EPA estimate 40 years ago (Sagar et al., 2018). and another study of how rapidly RF is increasing from wireless antennas, a 2014 published study from Environmental Research looked at RF in three European cities and found in just one year (between April 2011 and March 2012) that the total RF-EMF exposure levels in all outdoor areas in combination increased by 57.1% in Basel, by 20.1% in Ghent and by 38.2% in Brussels. “Exposure increase was most consistently observed in outdoor areas due to emissions from mobile phone base stations” (Urbinello et al., 2014).
- There has been NO public hearings or consent which is problematic and is thus what Robert F Kennedy (Jr) calls: The Global Human Experiment Without Consent.
- The consequence of Government inaction could be serious and irreversible damage. We just don’t know how damaging the technology is. The latency period asbestosis for example is officially 5 to 10 years, although often it takes 40 or more years from first exposure before the disease is diagnosed.
WHAT WE ARE CALLING FOR:
- Government must take into account the extensive evidence showing that EMF/radio-frequency radiation from masts and wireless devices at the current generation level and lower, puts health and life at risk ;
- Carry out a full and independent (not funded or run by the companies that own the technology and have vested profit only based interests in the outcome) assessment of the risks of 5G radiation; and
- Inform the public of the potential dangers so we can decide how to protect ourselves bearing in mind there is no opting out of the effects of 5G radiation. There is no indication of what the latency period for 5G radiation could be.
- Establish an effective legislation, monitoring and safety policy for 4G because the adherence to ICNIRP guidelines is not satisfactory. The ICNIRP guidelines which the independent scientific research shows is unsafe for humans, animals, and the environment
- Capacitate our doctors to deal with the health problems and other fall out of electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) that is one-hundred times stronger than the current 4G; this, bearing in mind that even the telecoms companies themselves warn their shareholders (not the public) about the risks. In addition to that Insurance Companies are refusing to cover damages related to 5G – They say: Electromagnetic Fields are defined as a “pollutant” by insurance companies and are not covered. EMF exclusion clauses are the standard in the industry – so that tells you something alone.
MORE INFORMATION
THE SCIENCE
The public needs to be properly informed of the potentially harmful effects of radio-frequency waves (RF) and their role in cancer and other serious medical conditions as reported in the following studies and reports:
- Radio-frequency radiation has been designated as a Group 2b carcinogen in 2011 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer based on increased incidence of certain types of brain tumours in heavier users of mobile phones was not communicated to the public.
- A ten year $30 million dollar study from the National Toxicology Program (NTP) funded by the U.S. government, which analyzed the effect of mobile phone radiation concluded ‘clear evidence’ of carcinogenesis.
- The highly esteemed Ramazzini Institute corroborated these findings above by demonstrating the same types of tumours in response to much lower intensity base station type exposures. Together, these two very large scale animal studies confirm the human epidemiological data already demonstrating carcinogenesis and as a result multiple independent experts and teams of experts have made clear that RF should now be designated as a Group 1 ‘known human carcinogen’
- Effect of Ultra High Frequency Mobile Phone Radiation on Human Health : This paper describes the risk of mutation and sexual trauma and infertility in masculine sexual cell by mobile phone radiations:
- The results of this study and International Commission of Non Ionization Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) reports showed the people who spend more than 50 minutes a day using a cell phone could have early dementia or other thermal damage due to the burning of glucose in the brain.
Safe Technology for SA 