Allegation:
Dangerous cosmic rays will pass near the Earth tonight and harm those who leave their personal devices turned on nearby.
Evaluation:
As the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 approached, Snopes’ inbox began filling up with a familiar claim that “tonight” cosmic rays would pass near the Earth, endangering those who left their personal electronic devices on. . The text of these “copy” messages was almost the same in each case:
Use your mobile phone, tablet, computer, etc. between 12:30-03:30 tonight. Remember to turn it off and place it well away from your body. Singapore TV announced this news. Please tell your relatives and friends. From 12:30 to 03:30 tonight, our planet will be exposed to very high radiation. Cosmic rays will pass very close to the earth. So please turn off your mobile phone. Do not leave the equipment close to your body as it may cause serious damage. If you don’t believe it, you can look at Google and NASA BBC News. Send this message to all the people who are important to you. Everyone is in danger, take care of yourself.
This viral message, which we last verified in 2017, is a hoax that has been circulating on the internet since at least 2014. It has been repeatedly denied by outlets such as Agence France-Presse in 2021, when it was discovered that this message had been widely shared. in Thailand. Vishvas News had also covered this claim in 2019 when it was spreading in India.
Where Do Cosmic Rays Come From?
Cosmic rays have two sources. One type of cosmic ray originates from supernovae; These supernovae are massive stars that “die,” collapse under their own gravity, and then collapse into black holes or neutron stars. While going through this process, supernovae eject charged particles (protons and electrons) into space. These particles move so fast that they can easily penetrate matter. The second source of cosmic rays is the sun. Solar flares and other solar events can also emit charged particles that reach Earth.
The good news is that, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Earth’s magnetic field protects us from these cosmic rays:
The Earth is protected by a magnetic field that causes charged particles to bounce from pole to pole, creating two giant donut-shaped belts full of energetic electrons and protons. The magnetosphere deflects cosmic rays and protects us from solar flares. Sometimes cosmic radiation reaches us without harming us, just like other low-level radiation we are regularly exposed to.
This video from the Nova television program explains it very well:
How Exposed Are We?
According to the IAEA, the average person is exposed to 3.5 millisieverts of radiation per year, of which only 10% is from cosmic rays. A much larger portion of such radiation comes from medical exams such as X-rays, mammograms or CT scans, the agency says. There are other natural sources, including radon emitted by soil in certain areas.
Our level of exposure to cosmic rays varies because the higher we find ourselves in space, the more exposure we are. For example, we are exposed to more cosmic rays during high altitude flights over the poles. This is of particular concern for aircrews on long-haul flights, and it’s a risk the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a warning to airline employees about.
People who travel to space face an even greater risk of exposure to harmful radiation. NASA also warns its employees about the potential cancer risk that this radiation can cause, among other things:
Radiation exposure during space exploration is one of the greatest threats to astronaut’s health. Associated risks include carcinogenesis, degenerative tissue effects, central nervous system effects, and acute radiation syndromes. The radiation environment outside the Earth’s protective atmosphere consists of energetic protons and heavy nuclei that pose a danger to living organisms. Damage caused by energetic nuclei has been shown to produce significant biological damage compared to radiation on Earth, leading to large uncertainties in estimating health risks and making it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of possible anti-radiation measures.
But according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, as long as we stay on Earth and thanks to our planet’s magnetic field, cosmic rays do not normally pose a significant threat to human health.
Resources:
Cosmic Radiation: Why We Shouldn’t Worry. April 12, 2021, https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/cosmic-radiation-why-we-should-not-be-worried.
‘FACT CHECK: Post Asking People to Turn Off Their Phones Due to Cosmic Rays is Fake’. Vishvas NewsJune 26, 2019, https://www.vishvasnews.com/english/society/fact-check-post-asking-people-to-switch-off-phone-due-to-cosmic-rays-is-fake/.
bilgi@eso.org. ‘Missing Link Found: Supernovae Lead to Black Holes or Neutron Stars’. Www.Eso.Org, https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2401/. Access date: 8 April 2024.
Kasprak, Alex. ‘FACT CHECK: Will Dangerous Cosmic Rays Pass Near Earth “Tonight”?’ SnopesMay 24, 2017, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/dangerous-cosmic-gamma-rays/.
‘An Old Hoax is Circulating on Thai Social Media Warning People to Turn Off Their Mobile Phones Due to Harmful Cosmic Rays Passing Through Earth’. Accuracy CheckMarch 12, 2021, https://factcheck.afp.com/old-hoax-circulates-thai-social-media-warning-people-turn-mobile-phones-due-harmful-cosmic-rays.
Space Radiation – NASA. March 16, 2023, https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/hhp/space-radiation/.
US EPA, OAR. Health Risk of Radon. August 14, 2014, https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon.
What Aircraft Crews Need to Know About Occupational Exposure to Ionizing Radiation. Federal Aviation Agency, October 2003, https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA423589.pdf.
What is Solar Activity? -NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/what-solar-activity/. Access date: 8 April 2024.