A report commissioned by the Swiss government has found that 5G poses no danger to public health. The level of radiation measured by the study is comfortably below the limit set to prevent adverse health effects.
The government’s study not only found that 5G technology is safe for human health, but also that radiation levels from the technology have reduced since previous measurements were taken eight years ago. The study explains that this is in part due to the creation of new antennas that produce even less radiation than before.
5G opponents in Switzerland remain unconvinced though. “This report is not realistic because it doesn’t take into account the changes that were made at the legal level for the new 5G antennas, that weren’t operating at full capacity at the time of the measurements,” Olivier Bodenmann, founder of the STOP 5G collective, told public broadcaster RTS. “What’s more, there were no measurements in schools, few measurements in private spaces and the measurements in public transport were taken outside peak hours,” he claimed.
In 2020, Switzerland had one of the most advanced rollouts of 5G technology seen anywhere in Europe. However, this rollout was slowed down by growing concerns among the Swiss public that 5G could be causing illness, despite the increased need for fast broadband and internet during the pandemic and research disproving the connection between 5G and disease.
At the same time, the pandemic saw 5G internet conspiracy theories around swirl across the globe. Many social media pages posted disinformation linking the COVID-19 virus and 5G, sparking further protests and opposition to the technology throughout 2020.