Is 5G network killing birds in India? Here's the truth

Hyderabad: An Instagram post claiming that 5G network radiation is killing thousands of tiny birds in India is doing the rounds of social media.

In the viral video, you can see what looks like a mobile tower and a person holding three dead sparrows in their hand. A text on the video claims the birds died due to the "5G tower."

A Facebook user shared a photo of hundreds of dead birds with a similar claim.

FACT CHECK

NewsMeter found a press release issued by the ministry of communications in May 2021 that said the telecom department has given a go-ahead to telecom service providers to start 5G trials in different locations across India.

According to Healthline, there's limited research on how 5G specifically affects animals. Currently, there's no solid evidence that 5G causes negative health effects in humans or animals.

We also found an article on BBC that clears the air around 5G network and related misinformation. "The radio waves involved in 5G and other mobile phone technology sit on the low-frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Less powerful than visible light, they are not strong enough to damage cells – unlike radiation at the higher frequency end of the spectrum which includes the sun's rays and medical x-rays," the report said.

According to WHO, "To date, and after much research performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies. Health-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum but, so far, only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G."

It is evident that 5G cannot be blamed for the death of the birds. No harmful effect of 5G radiation has been scientifically proven yet.

Hence, the claim is false.