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The #5Gcoronavirus conspiracy claims are caused by bad grammar – a thread.
Like many people I have relatives who are into conspiracy theories, and occasionally send them to me on WhatsApp. In this case, one in particular believes #5G is causing health problems.
My mum gets caught in the middle between me – a disinformation researcher – and the relatives, so occasionally I look into the claims and tell her what I find. Hence this thread.
On the face of things a link between a wireless radio frequency and a virus seems crazy. How could there possibly be a link? Yet people are burning phone towers because of it. https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/6/21209363/uk-5g-towers-burning-coronavirus-conspiracy-theory-arson-attacks-carrier-response">https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/6/...
So my mum sent me a link to this video which claims a New York doctor "unknowingly describes the effects of 60GHz" on coronavirus patients. Intriguing.
I looked up the original video. It& #39;s from @cameronks, who really is a doctor, and really did make a video claiming we should review vent protocols because they might inadvertently harm COVID-19 patients. https://nypost.com/2020/04/06/nyc-doctor-says-coronavirus-ventilator-settings-are-too-high/">https://nypost.com/2020/04/0...
Dr Kyle-Sidell argues COVID-19 shouldn& #39;t be treated like pneumonia, as it more closely resembles altitude sickness – where patients are slowly starved of oxygen. But the conspiracy video expands on his comments with slides claiming a link between 5G and oxygen absorption.
And the title of the paper really does seem to say 60GHz frequencies have "unique oxygen absorption properties." Hence the link to coronavirus – conspiracists claim that 5G somehow absorbs the oxygen and prevents it from reaching patients& #39; lungs, as described by the doctor.
But look at the paper itself, and it& #39;s about the ability of atmospheric oxygen *to absorb* radio waves at this frequency. There& #39;s a lot of research here: 60GHz can& #39;t be broadcast over long ranges because of the high rate at which signal energy is lost in the air.
There& #39;s a ton of information about this – it& #39;s why 5G transmitters have to be placed much closer together than regular cell towers, which can be controversial.
