JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wireless technology has long sparked fears based on vague accusations that it causes health issues and claims that some people are sensitive to the electromagnetic fields they create. Larger health studies ave never found a direct link to health consequences.
It’s no surprise the with the arrival of 5G technology, some of those same fears found a new focus: the coronavirus pandemic. With rumors of a connection circulating, people actually set fire to cellphone towers in the United Kingdom.
We put to the test with our Trust Index the two basic reports floating around about how 5G signals are related to the coronavirus.
The first thing circulating, completely without supporting evidence, at least seems plausible: that 5G signals somehow suppress the immune system, increasing either COVID-19′s frequency or severity. According to the World Health Organization and the University of Glasgow in Scotland, these radio signals do not suppress the immune system.
Yusuf Sambo, research associate at the University of Glasgow and the institution’s 5G testbed lead, called the claims “baseless.”
Those anti-5G claims are baseless. There is absolutely no credible evidence linking 5G with Covid-19.
— Yusuf Sambo (@yusuf__sambo) April 5, 2020
The second rumor, completely divorced from reality, is that the radio-frequency signals from cellular services somehow produce the virus itself. No mechanism is postulated for this because it’s completely impossible. The fact that the coronavirus genome is clearly related to a family of similar viruses is never addressed by those claiming a connection to cellphone transmissions.
Things got so out of hand that both Facebook and YouTube took down any posts suggesting a link between 5G and wireless technology and COVID-19.
The Food and Drug Administration, the National Cancer Institute and the Federal Communications Commission all maintain that there is little to no health risk from using mobile phones given the safety limits already in place.
After review, we've found this information is Not True.
