Effects of EMF Radiation Related to COVID-19 Infection

By Stephanie McCarter, MD

Speculation about 5G as a potential cause of the COVID-19 virus lead to vandalism and fires set to cell phone towers around the world in 2020. Although 5G did not directly cause the virus, numerous studies have shown that the electromagnetic fields weaken the bodily systems allowing for increased rates of infections, including bacterial and viral infections. Wuhan, China became a “smart city” approximately two months before the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Most of the 5G antennae were installed in Wuhan during the last 2 1/2 months of 2019.  The latter timing corresponds with the timing of the epidemic in Wuhan and the great increase in numbers of cases and numbers of deaths due to the epidemic.  Milan,  another epicenter of the COVID-19 virus,  had recently become the 5G capital for Europe by Vodafone. The question, is of course whether this is just coincidence or whether the mechanism(s) produced by 5G irradiation on  our bodies can exacerbate  viral replication and viral spread in the body and/or increase vulnerability to the predominant cause of death, namely pneumonia.  The answers provided in this article is that it can exacerbate both through many studied effects.

Dr. Magda Havas and Dr Angela Tsaing have  done a recent study¹ to be published by the time of this writing on the statistically significant increase in the rates of  COVID-19 cases and deaths in the areas of the  US  with 5G high mmW exposure.   All 50 states, the country’s largest counties, and the largest counties in California were analyzed through May 2020 and 5G mmW areas were compared to those without 5G mmW.     5G mmW index was a statistically significant factor for the higher case and rates in all three analyses, while population density, air quality and latitude were significant for only two or one of the analyses.   For state averages cases per million were 79% higher (p=0.012) , death per million were 94% higher (p=.0.049), cases per test were 68% higher (p=0.003) and deaths per test were 81% higher (p=0.025). If there was no mmW exposure, case and death rates would be 18-30% lower for 5GmmW states and 39-57% lower for 5G mmW counties based on regression analysis.  These results show that exposure to 5G mmW technology is statistically significantly associated with higher COVID-19 case and death rates in the United States.

What mechanisms from 5G mmW exposure could be responsible for the these increases? Oxidative stress with depletion of Vitamin D and glutathione, increased viral replication and infectivity, impaired host immune response including changes to the microbiome, and further impairment of the different bodily systems are all factors involved.

Viroporins are ion channel proteins encoded by viruses.  Viroporins play a critical role in viral replication. The SARS-CoV makes ion channels embedded in the host’s  cell membranes which allow for the exit of virions from the cell and leakage of calcium into the cell.  These ion channels involving calcium are specific to the activation of the NLRP-3 inflammasomes due to SARS-CoV ² and overproduction of the inflammatory IL-1Beta cytokines.  This  activation of the NLRP-3 inflammasomes in COVID-19 patients leads to cytokine storm and often ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ) /ALI ( Acute Lung Injury)  seen  in bilateral interstitial pneumonia associated with the high mortality from COVID -19 infection.  This influx of calcium also occurs with stimulation of voltage gated channels (VGCC s) by EMF radiation as demonstrated by Dr Martin Pall.³Calcium influx from EMF could therefore also  contribute to the triggering of the  cytokine storm seen with COVID -19 infections.  

Lehner, Georg et al.  published a case series in 2020⁴ of  higher levels of cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) which correlated with elevated levels of  Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viremia  in critically ill COVID-19 patients (with respiratory failure requiring ventilation) vs. non COVID  patients. 78% of severe COVID-19 patients had EBV viremia vs. 44% in non-COVID patients.(p=0.04).  Herold, Tobias et al.  published a study in 2020⁵  of elevated interleukin-6 and CRP as predictor markers for the need for mechanical ventilation in severely ill COVID-10 patients. Elevated (IL-6) is strongly associated with respiratory failure (p=0.000012) in COVID-19 infections.⁶  EMF fields  of just 50Hz have been shown to increase IL-6 in young healthy men in a study by Selmaoui B. ⁷  Grimaldi’s  ‘study⁸ in 1997 of cultured lymphocytes had an increase in expression of Epstein Barr Virus with just  50hz ( similar to our US frequency of 60Hz for electricity).   The growing EMFs in our environment may therefore be activating EBV  which can increase IL-6 and increase COVID severity of infection.

Dr.  Pall’s research⁹ and Dr Zory Glaser bibliography¹⁰of  over 2000 studies from 1972 demonstrate how microwave radiation causes massive biological damage, but not thermal damage. Based on the list of 123 studies and papers Pall compiled, the current established safety standards for radiofrequency radiation are off by a factor of nearly seven million in regard to the sensitivity of the calcium channels.

VGCC activation produces five different effects, each of which have roles in stimulating the replication and spread of Coronaviruses:

1.    Excessive intracellular calcium

2.    Oxidative stress

3.    NF-kappaB elevation

4.    Inflammation

5.    Apoptosis (programmed cell death)

Once VGCCs are activated, the ions stimulate the release of nitric oxide. Superoxide levels also rise in response to increased intracellular calcium. Together, they form peroxynitrite, which is an extremely potent oxidant stressor. While not a free radical, peroxynitrite breaks down to form reactive free radicals, both reactive nitrogen species and reactive oxygen species (ROS) including hydroxyl free radicals. The increase in free radicals leads to oxidative stress which fuels inflammation and decimates mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. This increase in oxidative stress then depletes antioxidants and makes the body more susceptible to not only infections but inflammatory diseases such as diabetes,, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s . The tissues in your body with the highest density of VGCCs are your brain and other nervous tissue, like the pacemaker in your heart and your testicles. People with diabetes and cardiovascular diseasehave shown a higher incidence of COVID 19 infection and higher rate of mortality^11,12. Again the increase in RF exposure and calcium channel stimulation triggering ROS  contributes to these disease burdens and their susceptibility to COVID 19 infection.

The Bioinitiative Report lists several studies¹³ on impaired immune function with effects on the lymphocytes from EMF exposure that date back to the 1990’s including altered lymphocyte shape, impaired DNA repair, cellular organelle and nuclear destruction, pro-inflammatory activity, and  increase in the tumor necrosis factor in macrophage cells interfering with cell immunity.  Many studies demonstrate hyper-immune response with  the lower RF frequencies of 835 MHz to 1.8gHz and the higher GHz frequency studies of 2.5GHz, 18GHz and 42gHz also showing a cellular stress response.  Kolomytseva¹⁴ did a study with 42GHz which would be closer to the 5G higher 39GHz frequencies  that caused a 50% reduction in neutrophil activity after just 20 minutes of exposure.  This effect persisted for 24 hours after the exposure ceased.  The lymphocytes increased by 44% and remained elevated for 5 days after cessation of exposure. Radar workers exposed to  range of 390 MHz to 10.96 GHz  for  720 to 7560 hours had decreased total T8 cell count and a significant increase in the IgM level which demonstrated radiation induced disorders in lymphocyte system.¹⁵   Impaired immune function is a critical risk factor for infection including COVID-19 infection, and immune dysfunction is clearly documented with multiple effects on the immune response from exposure to the many different frequencies studied.

Oxidative stress from low intensity radiofrequency radiation  has been shown in 93/100 peer reviewed studies by  Yakymenko I, et al. ¹⁶  Kıvrak EG et al. ¹⁷ highlight the impact of RF oxidative stress in their study in which antioxidant mechanisms are impaired due to overproduction of reactive oxidant species (ROS).  Examples of antioxidants that are depleted are glutathione and superoxide dismutase.  Glutathione (GSH) is an endogenous antioxidant and an important cellular defense agent against oxidative damage.  The importance of glutathione to COVID-19 prevention is supported in these case reports by Dr Richard Horowitz who successfully treated two patients with COVID-19 pneumonia with glutathione, vitamin C, zinc, and glutathione precursors N-acetyl-cysteine and alpha lipoic acid. The use of these antioxidants helped prevent complications of  “cytokine storm” and ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) from developing.¹⁸  Glutathione, the master antioxidant that fights oxidative stress and is essential for immune system function,  also regulates vitamin D levels. Low levels of glutathione lead to lower vitamin D levels.  GSH [reduced glutathione] deficiency and the  associated increased oxidative stress epigenetically alters vitamin D regulatory genes and, as a result, the suppressed gene expression decreases VD biosynthesis, ultimately leading to a secondary deficiency of vitamin D.¹⁹. Studies have shown that vitamin D levels are a critical factor in prevention of severe COVID 19 infections.²⁰

Dr Trevor Marshall has shown that very low radiofrequencies, much lower than 5G frequencies,  affect the VDR receptors in the cell by changing its shape. This change in the receptor affects its ability to bind with vitamin D.   The binding of VDR with vitamin D is important in regulating cellular metabolic pathways.²¹ VDR affects 913 genes many associated with autoimmune disease and inflammatory processes VDR expresses antimicrobial peptides cathelicidin and beta defensin which are integral to innate immune function.²² When the function of this receptor is affected by triggers like radiofrequency radiation,  pathogens such as viruses and bacteria can  then take over metabolic pathways in the cell as innate immunity is impaired.  Dr. Belpomme has shown Vitamin D deficiency to be associated with increased inflammation in people with chronic RF exposure as well. ²³

The state of our microbiome is the key to our health and it’s genome outnumbers our human genome by a factor of over 400 : 1.   A healthy microbiome has been deemed the most critical factor to preventing COVID-19 infections..  Changes in the microbiome significantly affect our immune system as well as the cardiovascular, respiratory,,  nervous system and endocrine systems.²⁴  Changes induced by radiofrequency radiation to the bacteria, fungi and viruses within the microbiome can increase vulnerability to infections including viral infections  and most chronic diseases.  In  the study by Said-Salman et al.²⁵ Wi-fi exposure triggered differential expression of genes  promoting virulence  and survival mechanisms in E. Coli , Staph aureus and Staph epidermidis.  These included increased cell adhesion and biofilm formation, stress response, increased chemotaxis and motility, and increased antimicrobial resistance with hyper mutation called the “SOS mutagenic response”. Many studies are demonstrating effects of 900 MHz  and 2.4GHz on the virulence of bacteria and increased antimicrobial resistance .  L. Monocytogenes  and E. Coli were exposed to Wi-Fi exposure of 900MHz and 2.4 GHz for 12 hours from a Wi-fi router and a mobile phone stimulator.  Both microorganisms demonstrated increased antibiotic resistance with exposure.²⁶  The beneficial  gut biome microorganism, L. acidophilus,  when  exposed to 51.8 GHz and 58 GHz for one hour +\- Ceftazidime showed a  decrease  in specific growth rate comparable to the effect of an  antibiotic .   When Ceftazidime was added to the high  RF exposure, a further decrease in L. acidophilus  growth occurred.²⁷ These  studies demonstrate that  5G mmW frequencies can have a negative impact on the microbiome and increase vulnerability to infections including viral infections like COVID-19.   

In summary the potential for 5G and even lower RF frequencies to contribute to increased infection by COVID-19 and the severity of infection has clear evidence in multiple peer-reviewed studies. The mechanisms of RF causing increased infection and its severity  include oxidative stress with depletion of key nutrients like Vitamin D and glutathione, changes to the  lymphocytes and the innate immune system, increased expression of viruses and cytokines with increased inflammation, impaired bodily system function due to calcium channel stimulation and cytokine release,  and changes to the microbiome that is so crucial for immune defense and overall health.  Guidelines for lowered EMF exposure need to be updated and particularly RF exposure in hospitals and institutions needs to be through hard-wired radiofrequency applications.  With lowered EMF exposure, the changes in morbidity and mortality from infection  can not only be life-saving but decrease exorbitant medical costs associated with prolonged hospitalizations and loss of work due to chronic post-viral illness.

References:

1- https://magdahavas.com/5g-and-mm-waves/is-there-an-association-between-covid-19-cases-deaths-and-5g-in-the-united-states/

2-Nieto-Torres JL, Verdia-Baguena C., Castano-Rodriguez C., et al. (July 2015) “Relevance of Viroporin Ion Channel Activity on Viral Replication and Pathogenesis.” Viruses 7 (7): 3552-73. PMID 265151305

3- Pall ML. Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects. J Cell Mol Med. 2013 Aug;17(8):958-65. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.12088. Epub 2013 Jun 26. PMID: 23802593; PMCID: PMC3780531.

4- Lehner, Georg & Klein, Sebastian & Zoller, Heinz & Peer, Andreas & Bellmann, Romuald & Joannidis, Michael. (2020). Correlation of interleukin-6 with Epstein–Barr virus levels in COVID-19. Critical Care. 24. 10.1186/s13054-020-03384-6.

5– Herold, Tobias & Jurinovic, Vindi & Arnreich, Chiara & Lipworth, Brian & Hellmuth, Johannes & Bergwelt-Baildon, Michael & Klein, Matthias . (2020). Elevated levels of interleukin-6 and CRP predict the need for mechanical ventilation in COVID-19. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 10.1016/j.jaci.2020.05.008

6- Tobias Herold, Vindi Jurinovic, Chiara Arnreich, Johannes C. Hellmuth, Michael von Bergwelt-Baildon, Matthias Klein, Tobias WeinbergerLevel of IL-6 predicts respiratory failure in hospitalized symptomatic COVID-19 patients Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2020.05.008

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