DNA manipulation and 5G? Another COVID-19 myth busted

^{By Eiddwen Jeffery}

False claims that a poisonous chemical compound called graphene oxide is being used in COVID-19 vaccinations and can cause the immune system to collapse, are circulating on social media.

The claim, which was made in an article published by The Expose, carries no byline and purports to be based on “scientific studies”. But information contained in the article is incorrect, according to experts consulted by RMIT FactLab.

The article, which has been posted on Facebook, claims “Graphene oxide, a substance that is poisonous to humans, has been found in the Covid 19 ‘vaccines’".

It continues by claiming the compound can be “activated” in those who are vaccinated through electromagnetic frequencies to cause damage to natural immune cells known as glutathione. 

It also claims the compound is found in hydrogels used in PCR tests and masks which contain conductive nanotechnology that “lock on to your DNA” and can be controlled by “electromagnetic 5G sensors”. 

But this purported connection between COVID-19 vaccines, graphene oxide and electromagnetic frequencies is false. 

Graphene oxide is a man-made chemical compound made from graphite and oxygen and used as a naonoparticle in a range of technologies for its flexibility and strength. In medicine, the compound has been used for cancer treatment, drug delivery, and cellular imaging. 

Deakin University epidemiologist Professor Catherine Bennett told RMIT FactLab that graphene oxide is not used in any COVID-19 vaccines.

“Graphene oxide is not listed in the published COVID-19 vaccination ingredients lists and I have not come across anything in my research to link it to the production or use of vaccinations,” Professor Bennett said. 

Research Associate at University of New South Wales, Shovon Bhattacherjee, who has studied the compound, told RMIT FactLab claims of graphene oxide being found in COVID-19 vaccines stem from a 2021 report.

In the report, Professor Dr Pablo Campra Madrid from the University of Almería, compared a vial of alleged Pfizer vaccine with images of graphene oxide. He concluded the vial liquid and images of graphene oxide looked similar, however stated in his report that the data remained inconclusive and was limited to a single sample of unknown origin. 

The report was fact checked at the time and the University of Almeria published a tweet which said the “university neither subscribes to nor shares” the findings of the report.

Professor Bennett said even if traces of graphene oxide were found in an individual, there would be no reason to attribute this to COVID-19 vaccinations. 

“If graphene oxide was found in a vaccinated individual this does not necessarily mean it has anything to do with vaccinations. Most Australians are now vaccinated, so chances are any nanoparticles from environmental sources would be found in a vaccinated person, so this would not be evidence of an association,” she said.

“It’d be like saying this compound was found in a male patient therefore it’s related to being male,” she said. 

Professor Bennett said graphene oxide does have some level of toxicity and there is ongoing research to better understand the compound and its potential use in medicine, but this research has nothing to do with COVID-19 or the vaccines.

_{Thumbnail photo source: Wikimedia Commons}