The Rhode Island Department of Health has concerns about the rollout of fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless service, with a spokesperson saying that not enough information on the safety of 5G wavelengths is available, even as telecom providers continue to install new transmitters.

Joseph Wendelken, a public information officer with RIDOH, said in an email that “5G is a complicated issue. There is some evidence that the longer frequency radio waves used by 2G and 3G networks cause cancer and disrupt certain nervous system processes …  However, whether [5G] are better or worse than other wavelengths remains to be seen. It is concerning to us because we don’t have this information yet and 5G is rolling out quickly.”

5G broadband networks are meant to increase upload and download speeds by more than 100 times over existing 4G technology, according to a press release from the office of Gov. Gina Raimondo. Better connectivity would pave the way for a future in which almost all devices, from appliances and phones to the electric grid and cars, are connected in the “Internet of Things.”

Rhode Island is one of the first states in the country to receive 5G service as part of a program by Verizon. Small cells, which emit 5G signals, were installed on the top of telephone poles in select locations in Providence and Pawtucket last summer.

But even as Verizon continues to expand 5G service throughout Rhode Island, concerns about the safety of the technology linger.

“A person can escape a virus with lifestyle by deciding to go indoors, but I, in my house, cannot escape radiation,” said Claire Stadmueller, a freelance opera singer living in Cranston who has been trying to bring the possible health dangers of 5G to the attention of city officials. “I would not have the capability to turn off a 5G pole outside of my house, so 5G radiation would be imposed on me 24/7. From everything I’ve read, this would compromise my health.”

Stadmueller said she was worried not enough studies have been done about the safety of 5G. She said 5G could impact the human immune system, cause cancer and hurt pollinators, such as bees.

“They’re doing this for economic reasons, to bolster the economic standing of the state,” said Sheila Resseger, a Cranston resident for 39 years and a former teacher at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf. “But, from what I’m learning from all these scientists, there will be harm. There will be harm to people, to wildlife, to trees, and there will be lawsuits in the future from this harm. So who is going to be held accountable and who is going to pay for it?”

Cranston City Councilman Steve Stycos, who has received five emails from constituents with concerns, said: “I’m upset that the city’s ability to regulate this has been apparently removed and taken away from us. There doesn’t seem to be any power of the city to look into the health effects and make a decision.”

Verizon said they are continuing to roll out 5G service in Rhode Island. 

David Weissmann, a public relations manager with Verizon, said via email that more information was available on wirelesshealthfacts.org, a website hosted by CTIA, a trade organization representing U.S. wireless communications companies. The website says 5G is safe, and that health concerns are unfounded.

The World Health Organization said that few studies have been done so far on the safety of 5G frequencies, but that no other frequency of wireless signals is found to be dangerous for humans. The WHO is researching the frequencies used by 5G and plans to have a study out by 2022.

RIDOH refuted claims that there is any connection between the spread of COVID-19 and 5G.

Tom Kogut, spokesman for the state’s Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, said that the division was fielding calls from Rhode Islanders concerned about the safety of 5G, but that the regulatory body with power over wireless signals is the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C.

“If these are small cell devices, these are devices that have been approved by standards approved by the FCC,” Kogut said.

He said municipalities had some control over 5G small cell placement if right-of-way issues existed, but that much of the regulatory control was out of the hands of state and local officials.

In 2017, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed the Small Cell Siting Act, which laid out the regulatory framework for telecommunications companies to install the small cells that emit 5G and 4G LTE signals. The act prevents cities and towns from placing blanket moratoriums on issuing permits for the cells, in effect giving companies control over cell construction. Municipalities can only block individual cell placements for right of way and historic preservation issues.

“From the point of view of democracy, cities and towns, as well as the states, have the responsibility to look out for the well-being of their residents,” Resseger said. “This is not democracy. Who is calling the shots? Why should industry call the shots? People have serious concerns that are not being addressed and with no recourse.”

In Massachusetts, eight bills are up in the 2019-20 legislative session to do with the health effects of 5G and wireless technology. Other communities across the country have banned or postponed the installation of 5G until more research is done. 

Resseger and Stadtmueller said they would like to see a public forum with state and local officials to discuss the health worries surrounding 5G.

State Rep. Joe McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston), agreed, saying: “There should be some type of venue where concerns can be heard.”