A little information may be hazardous, and nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the very real consequences of believing in conspiracies. The Netherlands is the most recent example. Several goods containing harmful radioactive material have prohibited in the Netherlands, including a necklace that claimed to prevent “damage” from 5G technology. Radioactivity and radioactive materials are not harmful or hazardous by definition.
Bananas well known for being radioactive and we humans are, too, just by breathing, drinking, and eating in a somewhat radioactive environment. The dosage is the most important aspect. This is why the Netherlands’ Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) became involved.
The Anti-5G necklace, as well as nine other “negative-ion” goods such as jewelry and a sleep mask, contain radioactive chemicals that, if worn consistently, might cause harm over time. The greatest research on the health impacts of 5G, on the other hand, determined it to be harmless. “Ionizing radiation is emitted by these specific goods, according to a research commissioned by the ANVS and conducted by the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).”
The observed amount of radiation is modest, as is the danger of health consequences. “However, it cannot be totally ruled out that using these items for a lengthy period of time might be damaging to your health in the long run,” according to an ANVS statement.
“All known suppliers of these items in the Netherlands have been told that their sale is forbidden and that they must cease trading in these products immediately,” says the ANVS. It is recommended that anybody who has a “negative ion impact” product keep it properly and inform the ANVS.
Anti-vaxxers have rich ground for conspiracy theorists against 5G, who have linked the rollout of the new communication technology to the COVID-19 pandemic and later to vaccinations. Following the propagation of conspiracy claims on social media, telecom employees in the UK attacked and 5G towers were set ablaze in May 2020.
One of the disadvantages of social media is that it fosters the growth and dissemination of conspiracy theories. While many of them are innocuous in and of themselves, their unrestrained proliferation has resulted in a time of mistrust of professionals, including scientists, as well as physical risk for individuals. The 5G conspiracy theory is the most recent example of this concerning trend in the United Kingdom.
Despite years of research on the electromagnetic field’s safety, the pattern for this conspiracy the typical “death by radiation” observed with earlier technology developments such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. When French conspiracy website Les moutons enrages (“The rabid sheep”) connected it to the Covid-19 outbreak earlier this year, it grew into something more sinister.
