5G network safe to roll out; Further study needed, health council says

The Health Council sees no reason to stop the roll-out of the new 5G frequencies in the Netherlands. According to the council, it has "not been demonstrated and is not likely" that exposure to 5G systems can harm people's health. But the council added that further research is needed, NU.nl reports.

The Health Council investigated the effects of 5G on public health at the request of parliament, after a large number of cellphone towers were set on fire earlier this year and a group tried to stop the rollout of the 5G network in court.

The Council concluded that it is not likely that 5G is hazardous to health. "Frequencies comparable to the low and mid 5G frequency bands have been in use for other telecom applications for years with no proven adverse health effects," the Council said. But as the 5G network is not yet completely in use, it is not yet clear how much exposure there will be.

Further study is therefore needed, the Council said, calling this report a "first step". For that reason, the Council advised against the use of the 26 GHZ frequency band for the time being. The possible health risks of this frequency band has not yet been sufficiently researched, the Council said.

The Health Council also recommended that frequency exposure be continually monitored before, during and after the rollout of the 5G bands.