DEVRA L. DAVIS on 5G and the Cause for Concern /229
Photo of the top of a cell tower that has been disguised to look like a conifer tree; Image by Michael Vi.
When asked about implementing 5G in 2019, Brussels’ Environment Minister, Celine Fremault was quoted saying “the people of Brussels are not guinea pigs whose health I can sell at a profit. We cannot leave anything to doubt.” Comparatively here in the United States, we are bombarded with advertisements that boast about the speed, accessibility, and necessity of 5G. Of course, unlike other countries, the United States has also embraced the digitization of our life beyond recognition. There are more cell phones in the United States than there are people, so it comes as no surprise that 5G would be an easier sell to our public. Alongside guest Devra L. Davis, we take a deeper look at why the telecom industry is manufacturing demand for 5G, as well as the overwhelming amount of research on global 5G wireless networks and how they threaten various species and ecosystems.
In conversation, Dr. Davis explains why there is so much conflicting evidence when it comes to EMF and RF exposure, possible explanations for why colorectal cancer is increasing amongst young people, how electromagnetic radiation impacts migratory species, and what tree crowns are telling us about radio frequency radiation. Dr. Davis carefully explains that the existing science on cell phone radiation and 5G is merely asking us to take adequate steps to reduce our exposure because the technology itself has yet to be proven harmless. With this in mind, we are called to partake in a thoughtful rebellion when it comes to resisting the internet of things that continues to grow around us.
“The market for 5G is not about improving your phone reception at all.”
Photo of Devra L. Davis
Dr. Davis is an internationally acclaimed award-winning scientist and author of more than 220 scientific publications and 3 popular books, including When Smoke Ran Like Water and Disconnect. She was the U.S. Senate confirmed Presidential appointee to the National Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board and served as an advisor to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Health Organization, Dr. Davis was formerly a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and was the founding director of the world’s first Center for Environmental Oncology. She is currently the President of the Environmental Health Trust.
♫ Music featured in this episode is “Release Technique III” by Jeremy Harris, “Sorted World” by Shay Roselip, and “Strange God” by Tan Cologne.
Episode References
Berkeley Talks: Joel Moskowitz on the health risks of cell phone radiation
Dr. Fiorella Belpoggi, Director of Research at the Ramazzini Institute, Italy: A case for caution
Microwave Weapons Are Prime Suspect in Ills of U.S. Embassy Workers
Reading Recommendations
Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation by Devra Davis
The Secret History of the War on Cancer by Devra Davis
When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Pollution and the Battle Against Pollution by Devra Davis
Environmental Health Trust Op-eds
Environmental Health Trust’s Take Action on 5G
Environmental Health Trust’s WI-FI in Schools Resources
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For The Wild Podcast is an anthology of the Anthropocene; focused on land-based protection, co-liberation and intersectional storytelling rooted in a paradigm shift away from human supremacy, endless growth and consumerism.