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MALTATODAY 21 July 2019

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10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JULY 2019 NEWS DAVID HUDSON THE chair of Malta's national health ethics committee is the sole Maltese scientist amongst the 42 countries' representa- tives who have signed the 5G Appeal, an "urgent call" for a moratorium on the powerful 5G technology. The scientists want to sus- pend the deployment of 5G data roll-outs, until its poten- tial hazards are investigated by scientists independent from the industry. The man who signed the document is Prof. Pierre Mall- ia, chairperson of the National Health Ethics Committee and lecturer at the University of Malta's school of medicine. He warns that until such time as someone funds enough studies for ample evi- dence into the dangers of 5G, "many people may die". "This issue came up under a Nationalist administration [when] a parliamentary social affairs committee was set up to hear grievances from peo- ple complaining about mobile masts being installed close to their home, reporting severe symptoms and headaches," Prof. Mallia told MaltaToday, speaking of the time when Malta was still in the phase of rolling out 3G data for mobile phone technology. Now, two generations of mobile communications lat- er, Malta is getting ready to deploy 5G communications, with Maltese company Melita already providing a 5G-ready mobile network with Ericsson; and Chinese tech giant Hua- wei also planning to launch 5G connectivity in Malta. The 5G Appeal, prepared in 2017 by scientists and doctors from around the world, de- mands that the roll-out of 5G technology stop until poten- tial hazards to human health and the environment have been fully and independently investigated. The Appeal has been signed by a total of 244 research- ers, professors, scientists and medical specialists from 42 countries. "Studies had been showing, including one published on the Lancet, that mobile tel- ecommunication masts gen- erate radiation which might cause brain cancer especially in children," Prof. Mallia said. But Prof. Mallia lamented the fact that nothing was ev- er done to study the hazards of 3G implementation at the time of that roll-out. "As an ethicist I spoke and wrote about the precaution- ary principle: when an activity raises threats of harm to hu- man health or the environ- ment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scien- tifically. "The experiences of ciga- rettes and asbestos, for ex- ample, have shown that until such time as someone funds enough studies for ample evi- dence, many people die. Nev- ertheless, many doctors had known about the effects of cigarettes and asbestos for a long time and no one listened. It seems that it is only when something becomes political- ly important that things start moving and action is taken," Mallia said. Earlier this year, the city of Brussels halted all 5G testing due to a breach of the Belgian radiation standard of 9V per metre. So far, Malta has been unyielding in the face of pro- spective hazards – the Malta Communications Authority said that it would only inves- tigate 5G testing if it received any direction from the Envi- ronmental Health Authority. The latter has, so far, taken its time. The European Parliament Prof. Pierre Mallia: 'When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken' What we don't know about 5G could kill us: Maltese expert raises alarm on potential hazards Medical ethicist says 5G should be studied further before roll-out Massive speeds: a speed test of Verizon's 5G network in Chicago "The experiences of cigarettes and asbestos have shown that until such time as someone funds enough studies for ample evidence, many people die... many doctors had known about the effects of cigarettes and asbestos for a long time and no one listened"

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