Australian health authorities have shut down the rumour that the 5G network is in any way, shape or form connected to the coronavirus pandemic.
The anti-5G movement has been going on for months and it appears conspiracy theorists have been latching onto the outbreak of Covid-19 as another reason why the faster internet shouldn't be allowed.
But, it's unclear how the rollout of the new network is related to the virus.
Advert
As a result, New South Wales Health has sought to quell the rising conspiracy theory that the two are linked or connected or responsible for one another.
In a statement on social media, the health authority wrote: "Although conspiracy theories can be fun to talk about, they can also lead to misinformation in the community.
"COVID-19 does not spread via mobile networks or wireless technology. COVID-19 is spread through contaminated droplets by coughing or sneezing, or by contact with contaminated hands, surfaces or objects."
Advert
People in the comments section can't believe that a health department has to make this declaration, but that is the world we're living in.
The anti-5G network movement believes that because it is faster and more powerful than 4G or 3G it must be harmful to people.
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, known around the country as Dr Karl from Triple J and the ABC, says we have nothing to be worried about because the science just doesn't stack up.
Advert
Whether you think it's a military weapon or something that's going to drive up cancer rates, Dr Karl told ABC News: "X-rays and gamma rays have higher frequencies and carry even more energy, so if they come in contact with our cells they can also cause cancer.
"But the energy from visible light, AM and FM radio, TV, microwaves, mobile phones and power lines is just too low to damage atoms."
He said while there were two studies that tried to link electromagnetic radiation to increased cancer rates in rats, the explanation of the information wasn't really conclusive.
Advert
"In both cases they delivered the radiation at a very high level (much greater than a phone would emit), right across the rodents' bodies for nine hours a day, seven days a week for two continuous years," Dr Karl wrote.
"One study found the male rats that were exposed to the radiation actually lived longer than the non-exposed rats, but the male rats did have more cancers of the heart and brain. The female rats showed no clear difference."
While rats are used all the time to simulate effects on humans, our phones certainly aren't exposing us to high-levels of radiation for that length of time every day.
Featured Image Credit: PA