How false claims about 5G health risks spread into the mainstream

Perfect storm of conditions helped nonsense theories about 5G and coronavirus to take hold

A year ago, hoax theories about the dangers of 5G had barely pierced the public's consciousness, largely remaining confined to serious conspiracy theorists such as David Icke.

In recent weeks, baseless claims about risks associated with the next-generation mobile technology have gone mainstream. Claims linking 5G to the coronavirus pandemic have led to petrol bomb attacks on phone masts and rebuttals from the government.