Question 2 of 3
Is it safe? How 6G works, and what its waves do to the body
Heating is the only established way radio energy affects the body, according to ICNIRP, Health Canada and WHO, and public limits sit about 10 times below the level that warms skin.
Higher frequencies stop in the outer skin, and radio and terahertz waves are millions of times too weak to break chemical bonds. Early 6G is planned for today’s bands plus new 7–8 GHz spectrum; terahertz is research and short fixed links.
Common questions
Does 6G cause cancer?
WHO-commissioned reviews (2023–2025) found no increased brain cancer risk from mobile phones, with moderate certainty. WHO’s cancer agency IARC has listed radio waves as “possibly carcinogenic” (Group 2B) since 2011, a label about strength of evidence, not size of risk, and an advisory group recommended re-evaluating it in 2024. Rat tumour findings under heavy exposure remain disputed.
Is 6G terahertz?
Not at first. 3GPP’s first 6G radio study covers frequencies up to 52.6 GHz, and vendors call 6–8.4 GHz the main 6G band. Sub-terahertz and terahertz are research and short fixed links that might join later releases.
Can 6G waves break DNA?
That claim is graded not supported. Terahertz photons are thousands of times too weak to break chemical bonds, early 6G does not use terahertz, and a careful 2.3 THz study found no DNA damage markers in very sensitive human stem cells.
What are the exposure limits in Canada?
Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 sets exposure limits from 3 kHz to 300 GHz with safety margins, and ISED requires towers and devices, including 5G, to comply. Above 300 GHz, ICNIRP’s laser guidelines apply.
How deep do the waves go into the body?
The higher the frequency, the shallower the energy goes. ICNIRP says 86% of the power is absorbed within about 8 mm of the surface at 6 GHz, and within 0.2 mm at 300 GHz. Above 6 GHz, safety rules measure power absorbed at the skin surface.