5G Internet offers faster mobile speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity to handle the growing number of wirelessly connected devices. And like all new technologies, it has been the subject of health concerns, although there is no conclusive evidence that 5G waves (or other wireless communications) will cause health problems. There are conspiracy theories, but they are certainly not related to the spread of coronaviruses.

But when people worry about getting sick because of their environment, their fears may be related to actual symptoms; Engadget, in a brief report on the phenomenon published today, quotes one of the scientists who authored a 2017 paper on the subject We spoke with Professor Omer Van den Bergh, who is also the author of a 2017 paper on the subject. According to Professor Van den Bergh, people with "modern health anxiety" may attribute their actual symptoms to "environmental causes," despite the absence of diagnosed medical problems.

While the paper itself is not 5G-specific, the underlying phenomenon, called "idiopathic environmental intolerance," is the same. The essential theory is that one always experiences some symptoms that have no clear cause and that these symptoms "become linked to specific environmental cues."

This is essentially what Chuck McGill suffers from in Better Call Saul, a spin-off of Breaking Bad that focuses on Saul McGill/Goodman. Chuck (Soul's brother) is often seen wrapped in aluminum foil in his dark house to block the electromagnetic radiation that he believes is making him sick.

The lack of scientific evidence is not a problem for some who believe that 5G is having a negative impact. As Van den Berg points out, "the symptoms are real."

[10] Engadget's full discussion with Van den Bergh is definitely worth checking out. We recently laughed about USB flash drives being sold for $350 as 5G shields, but knowing that some of the people being taken advantage of may indeed be experiencing symptoms that seem to be caused by their environment gives a valuable perspective.