No, 5G networks are not associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s why.
One of the most popular conspiracy theories surrounding the coronavirus pandemic is that it is related to the arrival of the fifth generation — 5G — of communication networks.
There is no reason to believe that this new technology would bring sudden changes in our health that didn’t already come with the appearance of commercial cellular networks in the early ‘90s.
Our communication systems, including 5G, use a certain range of frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum. Even though there might be health risks associated with our continuous exposure to electromagnetic radiation in the parts of the spectrum we use for communication, scientists have not been able to draw unequivocal conclusions.
The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by a virus that mainly affects the respiratory system and has nothing to do with the advent of 5G networks. To understand why, let’s begin with a small primer on electromagnetism and its effects on the human body.
Crash course on electromagnetism
Electromagnetic (EM) radiation is caused by the movement of energy particles called photons. These particles move in waves at different frequencies, measured in a unit called Hertz (Hz) — the number of oscillating cycles of a photon per second. Higher frequency EM waves have more energy than lower frequencies.
The electromagnetic spectrum — the set of electromagnetic waves of all frequencies — can be divided in multiple frequency zones, many with names that can be very familiar to us: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays.
Exposure to higher-frequency electromagnetic radiation in large quantities can be very dangerous: it can break atoms apart in your tissues, causing damage. This is called ionizing radiation, which has frequencies higher than 100 PHz (peta-Hertz, or 100 quadrillion Hertz) and includes the upper parts of the ultraviolet spectrum, and X- and gamma rays.
In contrast, lower-frequency electromagnetic radiation is non-ionizing and usually doesn’t break atoms apart; it just warms things up. This is why microwaves can warm your food, or why you feel warm while basking in the sun.
Non-ionizing radiation also makes possible the complex networks of communication systems that boost our modern world. We use waves in the radiofrequency spectrum — between 3 kHz and 300 GHz — for radio and TV broadcasting, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellphone use. 5G networks fall right in this zone.
As indicated by its name, electromagnetic radiation is composed of electricity and magnetism. Electric currents produce magnetic fields, so everything that runs with electricity is, in essence, producing electromagnetic radiation.
Can 5G be dangerous?
The 5G technology will not cause different effects than the ones you would already be exposed to if you watch TV, use a cellphone, or have a Wi-Fi router in your house.
The technology behind 5G, in essence, is not very different from 3G, 4G, or LTE. The novelty is that 5G uses mostly higher frequencies than other available technologies — it’s in the range of 6 to 24 GHz, compared to less than 6GHz for LTE. This has two advantages.
One is that, by using higher frequencies, it can access a part of the spectrum that is not crowded with existing phone, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi signals. The other is that it can send information faster, “maybe 10 to 100 times faster than the lower frequency” technologies, said Dr. Ting-Yen Shih, professor of engineering at the University of Idaho.
Part of Shih’s research focuses on the biomedical applications on electromagnetism.
According to Shih, “for the 5G, 4G, Wi-Fi frequencies, there is no scientific evidence that it can impact our human body very much.” He said the only impact would be the warming effect of frequencies in that part of the spectrum.
A recent study that summarized the scientific evidence available about the biological effects of low-frequency electromagnetic radiation concluded that, although there is limited evidence that it can cause some DNA damage, “there is still insufficient evidence to provide an irrevocable proof of its carcinogenic and mutagenic potential for humans.”
This is because most of those studies are done using cultured cells or model animals (like mice) and the results can change in the context of the human body. Plus, studies on humans are typically not experimental, and current observations are not enough to tell for sure whether there is an effect.
The harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation are only seen at high intensities of radiation. That is why there are international regulations that set a limit on the intensity of the waves that an electronic device can emit.
For cellphones in the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission sets up a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) to make sure their emissions are within the safe range of exposure. According to the FCC, “Any phone legally sold in the U.S. is a ‘safe’ phone.”
There are also regulations for the installation of cellular antennas, which emit radiation at much higher intensities than small electronic devices.
That is why they are “usually located outdoors on towers and other elevated structures like rooftops, water tanks and sides of buildings,” the FCC says; as a consequence, “ground-level exposure is much less than the exposure that might be encountered if one were very close to the antenna.”
Can 5G cause COVID-19?
No. The cause of the COVID-19 disease is a virus that infects the respiratory system and that is transmitted from person to person. Its symptoms are similar to those of other respiratory infections with known causes.
The 5G technology started to be deployed by cellphone companies in South Korea and the U.S. in April 2019, months before the first cases of pneumonia involving an unknown coronavirus were reported in China in November.
The conspiracy went viral back in March with a video made by “an American doctor who is on disciplinary probation,“ as reported by CBC. The claims made in the video included that viruses are products of cellular waste exposed to radiation, a statement easily debunked by virologists.
Another argument was that the epidemic was not strong in African countries where the 5G technology had not arrived yet, another easily debunked claim. The first African COVID case was reported in Egypt on Feb. 14, a country where 5G is not currently present.
This “is a new technology we are not very familiar with (and) we may have some concerns, that is very normal,” Shih said.
He added that “you use electronic devices every day, and you put your cellphone close to your head, or you put your cellphone on the bed while you are sleeping. And you’re used to using the microwave oven every day. … If you have some concern, you need to check the regulations” of your devices.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
