DOES 5G CAUSE CORONAVIRUS AND DEATH OF BIRDS?
In October 2018, nearly 300 starlings were discovered dead in a Hague park. Despite the fact that the local municipality is never identified as a reason for the recent mass death of European starlings in the Netherlands, some conspiracy theorists suggested that a 5G antenna test was to blame. Things will become even weirder and more obfuscated as the Indian science-fiction blockbuster 2.0 is released in theatres only a few days later. Aside from being a metaphor for how technology is taking over our lives, the film shows microwave interference from mobile towers wiping out bird populations, and is a validating example of how technology is taking over our lives.
‘5G’ is a far-fetched hypothesis. Following the release of the film ‘2.0,’ which centres around a storyline portraying the adverse effects of EMF radiation on birds, Indian news outlets, mainly Tamil media, reported articles about the film that included the phrase “bird died in the Netherlands due to 5G.”
In certain parts of the world, the 5G network (the fifth wave of mobile internet) was introduced as early as 2018. This network makes for much quicker internet speeds, allowing for better data processing and transmission. It allows more users to connect to the same network without experiencing lags, glitches, or other issues.
Thankfully, unlike many other conspiracy theories and hoax campaigns circulating the internet, this one does not threaten anybody or anything directly. However, the 5G myth and those like it will also cause harm by diverting attention away from the man-made, immediate risks to birds and the atmosphere.
WHY CONFUSION HAPPENS
The disorienting lights used on communication towers, not the electromagnetic radiation they produce, are to blame for the deaths of birds. 5G – The misinformation now circulated among UNICEF’s young reporters reminds us of experts’ claims that the fifth generation of broadband internet does not destroy living things or transmit viruses.
Following false claims about 5G’s effect on birds, a new conspiracy hypothesis has surfaced: the 5G network is transmitting coronavirus. Viruses are incapable of being transmitted by radio waves transmitted by telecommunication equipment. This is supported by the fact that the coronavirus can be found even in countries without a 5G network. The coronavirus is spread by respiratory drops, which occur when a person talks, coughs, or sneezes, according to the World Health Organization. If a human comes into contact with a contaminated surface and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth, they may contract the virus.
Taken together, the chain of events that leads to 5G being blamed for bird deaths is odd and concerning, but it also typifies how disinformation spreads on the Internet: an urgent headline, supported by a series of half-truths and misinterpretations reinforced by popular culture, compounded and laundered regularly via social networking posts.
IS 5G INTERNET DANGEROUS FOR HEALTH?
“No adverse health effects have been established as being caused by cell phone use,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said in 2014. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have listed all radio frequency radiation (which includes mobile signals) as “likely carcinogenic.” Since “there is evidence that falls short of being definitive that exposure can cause cancer in humans,” it has been included in this group. Using talcum powder and eating pickled vegetables belong in the same group. Since the proof is greater, alcoholic beverages and processed meat are placed in a higher range. Male rats exposed to elevated doses of radio frequency radiation developed a form of cancerous tumour in the heart, according to a toxicology study published by the US Department of Health in 2018 and cited by those raising safety concerns. Rats’ entire bodies were subject to cell phone radiation for two years, starting before they were born, for nine hours a day, every day. The female rats and mice tested showed no signs of cancer. It was also discovered that rats who were exposed to radiation lived longer than those who were not.
“Exposures used in the experiments cannot be precisely related to the exposure that humans face while using a mobile phone,” according to a senior scientist on the project. “While some study indicates a statistical probability of elevated cancer risks for heavy users, the data to date for a causal relationship is not adequately compelling to indicate the need for precautionary intervention,” says Dr Frank De Vocht, who helps advise the government on cell phone protection. However, a coalition of scientists and doctors has written to the EU, urging the EU to put a stop to the introduction of 5G.
CONCLUSION
No, 5G, the fifth generation of our broadband network, does not kill birds. Radio transmitting antennas (including mobile phone towers) emit radio waves over 10 MHz, which are not believed to affect birds. Neither 5G nor coronavirus cause coronavirus.