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UAMS expert tells Senate panel 5G presents little medical risk but exposes rural infrastructure gaps
Summary
Dr. Joseph Sanford told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that current medical evidence does not show harmful health effects from 5G radio frequencies, but he warned that 5G’s benefits depend on fiber backhaul and that rural Arkansas faces coverage and telemedicine challenges.
Dr. Joseph Sanford, interim director of the UAMS Institute for Digital Health and Innovation and chief clinical informatics officer for UAMS, told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that current medical evidence does not support claims that 5G cellular networks cause harmful health effects. He spoke at the committee’s meeting after Representative Lademan asked for a briefing on what the incoming 5G network may mean for health care services.
The UAMS official gave an overview of 5G’s technical bands — low, mid and millimeter-wave — and explained that, although millimeter-wave frequencies are higher than prior cellular bands, they are far below visible light and are non-ionizing. "There is…
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