5G misinformation

There have been conspiracy theories suggesting that the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the epicentre of the pandemic in Wuhan, China, is linked to the large number of 5G towers in the city. However, the truth is that 5G technology is not fully deployed in Wuhan.[12]

WHO poster warning misinformation related to 5G

• 5G causes cancer: It is very unlikely that exposure to the 5G radiofrequency will cause cancer. 5G is non-ionizing radiation, and such radiation does not damage DNA. Cancer is generally caused by ionizing radiation that damages DNA.[13][14]
• 5G is the cause for COVID-19: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic having started during the deployment of 5G technology, the two are in no way connected. There is undisputable evidence that COVID-19 is a viral disease and has no relationship with 5G or any other cellular technology.[15]
• 5G weakens the immune system: There is no evidence to suggest that the low levels of radiation emitted by 5G technology can have any effect either on the immune system (including antigens and antibodies) or in the process of oxidative stress.[16]

• 5G kills birds or insects: Radio wave emissions above 10 MHz from cell telephone towers are not known to harm birds.[17] Mass bee deaths that happened in many parts of the world are not related to 5G deployment.[18]

• COVID-19 is a cover to embed microchips within COVID-19 vaccine for controlling people via 5G: A microchip with tracking capabilities or 5G functionality would need to be much larger than the bore of a needle, so it would not be possible to inject through a syringe. Indeed, incorporating the size of such a chip would require a syringe with a bore diameter over a dozen times larger than the ones commonly used to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine. Furthermore, the microchip would not function without a power source capable of transmitting a signal through at least an inch of muscle, fat, and skin.[19]
• The 5G grid is part of a larger surveillance and artificial intelligence agenda: The fact is that 5G is nothing more than a technology which establishes wireless connections between devices and the internet, with a higher speed and capacity than older technologies such as 4G or 3G. It is only up to the application developers whether to use this wireless connection for any purpose, including surveillance. In that sense, any wireless technology (including 4G or 3G) can also be used for surveillance.
• 5G is a weapons system that governments and industries disguise as new technology: Some people likened the 5G radiofrequency transmitters to the US military's directed-energy weapon called Active Denial System (ADS), which was used to heat the surface of targets, such as the skin of targeted human beings. Although both ADS and 5G use radio waves, 5G transmits over a much lower frequency which is safe for humans.[20] Moreover, 5G transmits at a much lower power than ADS.
• 5G frequencies are used for crowd dispersal
• 5G maps the insides of bodies and homes
• 5G replicates inside the body and causes re-radiation

• Installing new 5G base stations over a given area may result in an uncontrollable increase of radiofrequency "pollution": Dense deployment of 5G base stations is beneficial to the users living in proximity to them, because there is abrupt decrease of radiofrequency compared to sparse deployment.[21] Installing additional base stations over the area may be needed for supporting an increasing number of users with higher data rates. As a result, the distance between users and the nearest base station shrinks. This is called network densification, which may be wrongly perceived to increase the health impacts of 5G. However, unlike the common perception, network densification can reduce the average electromagnetic field exposure. Lower network densification means that each base station should cover a larger area, leading to higher radiated power for each cell.[21] Additionally, dense deployment of 5G base stations leads to reduced radiation from mobile phones since connecting base stations are closer to mobile phones. Typically, radiation from base stations is lower than the radiations from mobile phones, since the radiation power decreases with the square of distance from the source.[22]

• In April 2020, arsonists in the U.K. set 5G wireless towers in Birmingham, Liverpool, and Merseyside on fire and then uploaded videos of the vandalism to social media.[24][25]
• Australian anti-vaxxers protested against 5G technology, large pharmaceutical corporations and COVID-19 vaccines in Melbourne and Sydney.[26] Almost 90 attacks against mobile masts were reported during COVID-19 lockdown in the UK.[27] Nearly 50 assaults were recorded against telecom engineers in the UK.[28]
• Seven cell phone towers were burned in Canada by 5G skeptics in May 2020.[29]
• In April 2020, anti-5G protestors in the Netherlands sabotaged and set fire to several 5G towers and sprayed an anti-5G slogan at the scene of an attack. The Dutch government said it reported “various incidents” around broadcasting masts and considered opposition to the 5G rollout as a possible cause, according to a statement on its website. It also warned that attacks targeting 5G network equipment "can have consequences for the coverage of the telecommunications network and reachability of emergency services."[30]
• Global protest of "invisible" people on 16 June 2022. Yellow chairs were set up in public spaces around the world to portray electro­hyper­sensitive people that could not be present. The International EHS Day was initiated by the French EHS Coeurs d’EHS back in 2018.[31]