Conspiracy theories claiming that 5G can spread the coronavirus has flooded social media. The myth allegedly took hold when a Belgian physician linked the 'danger' of 5G technology to a virus during an interview in January.
The Guardian reported that at least 20 masts of mobile operators across the UK have been set on fire or otherwise looted since Thursday. A representative of the mobile network MobileUK published an open letter:
“We have had cases of vandals setting fire to mobile masts, disrupting critical infrastructure and spreading false information pointing to a link between 5G and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
A #coronavirus conspiracy theory in the U.K. spurred a rash of 5G telecom tower arson fires in Belfast, Liverpool, Birmingham https://t.co/VtShMhcAV5 pic.twitter.com/eoPYjaOgib
– QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) April 7, 2020
Many media outlets have rushed to refute this myth, including the UK Federal Minister for Communications and Cybersecurity Paul Fletcher.
However, petitions have surfaced urging the Australian government to stop deploying 5G because the technology could allegedly 'negatively affect your immune system' (a claim for which there is absolutely no evidence). More than 27,000 signatures received.
How 5G radio signals (radiation) work.
The difference between 5G and previous generations of mobile communications (4G, 3G) is that the latter use lower radio frequencies (in the 6 GHz band), while 5G uses frequencies in the 30-300 GHz range.
In the 30-300 gigahertz range, there is not enough energy to break chemical bonds or remove electrons upon contact with human tissue. Thus, this range is referred to as 'non-ionizing' electromagnetic radiation.
It is approved by the Federal Government of the Australian Agency for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety as not adversely affecting the health of more intense radiation.
Radiation can get on the skin, for example, when we hold a 5G mobile phone to our ear to make a call. At this point, we are most exposed to non-ionizing radiation. But this impact is well below the recommended safety level.
5G radiation cannot penetrate the skin or allow the virus to penetrate the skin. There is no evidence that 5G radio frequencies are causing or exacerbating the spread of the coronavirus.
Also, the protein coat of the virus is not able to capture 5G radio signals. This is because radiation and viruses exist in different forms that do not interact. One is a biological phenomenon and the other exists in the electromagnetic spectrum.
5G radio waves are called millimeter waves because their wavelength is measured in millimeters. Because these waves are short, 5G cell towers need to be relatively close to each other – about 250 meters away. They are organized as a collection of small cells (a cell is an area covered by radio signals).
For 5G, more base stations are required to cover a larger geographic area compared to 4G. This increase in the number of base stations and their proximity to humans is one factor that could raise unfounded concerns about the potential health effects of 5G.
Your phone may be dangerous, but its radiation is not.
COVID-19 spreads through small droplets released from the nose or mouth of an infected person when they cough, sneeze, talk, or breathe out. Transmission occurs when the droplets come into contact with the nose, eyes, or mouth of a healthy person.
Therefore, if an infectious person speaks on the phone, enough infectious droplets can get on their surface so that they can spread the virus. This is why it is not advisable to share one phone during a pandemic. You should also disinfect your cell phone regularly.
Youtube announced that it will commit resources to remove content linking 5G technology to COVID-19.
Stanley Shanapinda, Research Fellow, La Trobe University.
This article is reprinted from The Conversation. Read the original article.
