Are Apple Wireless AirPods Safe? They’re Not Bad, But…
Recently, a relative of mine warned me not to keep my wireless devices (mobile phone) next to my head, especially near my body before bed. Apparently, some people are getting cancer from radiation near the same exact areas that their mobile devices are close to their person, consistently for a few hours every day. While many test studies are subjective depending upon many variables, it’s still worth it to look into the possible health risks associated with using wireless technology on a hourly and daily basis. After all, it’s not the future. It’s the now. And cord cutting devices are sure to increase.
WHAT IS WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY?
Before diving into how hazardous, or not hazardous wireless technology is, we must first understand its definition.
Heinrich Hertz(1857 — 1894) discovered electromagnetic waves, which was the birth of wireless technology. And the first commercial RF communications systems had been discovered by Guglielmo Marconi (1874 — 1937) in the late 1890’s. More than fifty years after the first RF commercial communications system, comes the wired telegraph service that was demonstrated in 1832 by Samuel F. B. Morse (1791 — 1872). In short, wireless technology involves transmitting electromagnetic signals over the air. The weakening of electromagnetic signals with distance, and the electromagnetic spectrum, make possible wireless communication. Wireless technology appears in anything that has a battery in it, and connects/pairs to another nearby device deployed by Bluetooth. The RF of any wireless device such as a cell phone, Bluetooth headphones, and even a wireless router emits non-ionizing radiation. However, they aren’t as harmful as devices that emit ionizing radiation like X-ray machines in health care offices and airports.
“Wireless technology provides the ability to communicate between two or more entities over distances without the use of wires or cables of any sort. This includes communications using radio frequency (RF) as well as infrared (IR) waves.” — encyclopedia.com
WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS?
Since the elimination of the headphone jack from Apple’s iPhone 7, human health has been the subject of concern. Many other cell phone device makers have followed suit such as the Moto Z, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Pixel 2, and the Pixel XL. Lots of folks are pleased with Samsung not having removed the headphone jack from the Galaxy S9, but it may not be too long before the Korean technology company goes way of the wireless wave. Let’s face it people, there is no turning back from the implementation of wireless technology, even with it’s potentially harmful effect on human life. Many technology companies are risking better health for better sound quality, thinner device design, and superior water resistance, only to name a few upsides of wireless tech.
“I think it’s unfortunate, because Apple themselves acknowledges in their fine print — often hidden — that you need to keep cell phones … away from the ear, and most people don’t do that,” says Dr. Anthony Miller, senior adviser to the Environmental Health Trust, an activist group that studies radiation and cell phone usage.
Apple’s health-centered Apple Watch seems sort of contradictory as being one of the main leaders of wireless tech and their knowledge of its potential harmful effects on life. The same device both focuses on saving lives while potentially subjecting them to compromised health? Is one of the main reasons that the Silicon Valley firm recently debuted the AirPods, as well as the acquisition of Beats? Let’s not be coy, the company is in business to make money first. That being true of any company, Apple may be emphasizing the use of wireless headphones to not only earn a profit, but also keep its customers from using their phones close to the ear, as found in their ‘fine print’ warning on their website. Consistent with wanting to be responsibly transparent with regards to manufacturing regulations, Apple has a legal disclosure page on their web site called ‘RF Exposure’. There you can chose to view Apple’s bodily RF absorption details to all of their devices of which all have been RF tested. Each device has an associated model number too. Since this post is about the safety of wireless headphones, I will include all SAR (Specific Absorption Rates) for devices ranging from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone X, Apple Watch, as well as the AirPods below:
According to smart-safe.com, “The left AirPod emits Bluetooth microwave radiation in the 2.402 — 2.480 GHz frequency range to communicate with a smart phone or other wireless device. The Specific Absorption Rate (or SAR) of the AirPod is 0.466 watts per kilogram (averaged over 1 gram)”. Are the AirPods safe enough though? As with any wireless device, many hours of consistent exposure throughout a day can lead to substantial microwave radiation. However, Apple’s own branded wireless headphones rate below the standard SAR allowance of 1 gram. Unlike many other Bluetooth devices, EE Times reports that the AirPods use a different technology called, “near filed magnetic induction (NFMI).”
In an interview conducted by Smart-Safe.com with Mark Hertsgaard, The Nation’s environment correspondent and investigative editor, who co-authored a major new exposé, “How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe.” He talks about how wireless companies “war-gamed the science” by funding friendly studies and attacking critical ones; the potential dangers of the pending expansion of 5G with the “internet of things”; the role of the telecommunications industry officials turned federal regulators; and how companies deliberately addicted customers to this technology through the addition of social media. As a journalist, Hertsgaard doesn’t proclaim to know for certain if cell phones and wireless tech in general are safe or not. Rather he looks at “industry disinformation and propaganda campaigns that for the past 25 years have been convincing the public that these cellphones are safe.”
Hertsgaard tells Safe Smart that “scientists finally concluded that there was, “clear evidence that cellphone radiation can cause cancers,” according to their findings in February of this year by the National Toxicology Program. Unfortunately, the FCC does not independently test the radiation levels on mobile phones. This may be troubling to some as technology approaches the public release of 5G technology, which is “fifth generation” technology where all devices and appliances are internet connected 24/7
Back in January of 1993, David Reynard of Tampa, Florida, sued the NEC America Company. Reynard said his wife’s NEC phone caused her a lethal brain tumor in a clip from ABC New’s 20/20 investigation which aired in 1999. Furthermore, EMFs (electromagnetic fields) can increase conditions such as chronic pain, depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Alzheimer’s disease. To date, there is no concrete evidence publically available that lists neither the positive and/or negatives affects of wireless radiation. Some studies even reveal how low ionizing levels of radiation may do more good than harm for your cells. When a low dose of bad thing has good effects, it’s called “hormesis”. But it is well documented how radiation in general can cause cancer if absorbed too much by the body, even when deriving from the sun.
AVOIDING RADIATION
The convenience features of wireless tech will prevent mass amounts of people from voting with their dollars against it, barring concrete evidence that wireless tech is solely or largely responsible for radiation sickness and diseases. Nevertheless, we should be smart and protect ourselves as much as possible. Good news is, emanating radiation from Apple’s AirPods is under the SAR limit of 1.0, coming in at .466 for the pocket sized tech. This beats holding your iPhone to your ear which is 10g over the 1g SAR limit.
On to the some solutions!
Here’s 8 Ways You May Be Able To Protect Yourself Wireless Radiation:
- Use The Speaker — talking on the speaker of your phone while sitting the device on a table is better than holding the tech to your head and in your hand.
- Keep Distance — while sleep, keep all wireless devices about 10 feet away from your body. By the way, this tip will also help get you out of bed and retire that snooze button.
- Enjoy Family and Friends — during the creative part of your day, or interacting with family and friends, turn on the “Do Not Disturb” feature. This way, your phone will only ring from those whose contact card you have authorized to do so while DNB is activated
- Use Apps — try making audio/video calls over WiFi, which emits less radiation than a mobile phone.
- Be Mindful — do not place your phone in your sports bra strap. Lymphoid organs are most susceptible to radiation, and the ancillary lymph nodes are located in the chest area and near the breast tissue. The Thymus organ located at the upper chest is another highly vulnerable area for radiation contraction.
- Shield Yourself — buy an EMF Protection cell phone case.
- Get Grounded — place your bare feet on the ground, allowing your body to soak up the earth’s negatively-charged electrons, which can help reduce organ inflamatio — thus creating a balance in bodily electrical circuitry.
- Get Outside — taking breaks to get about nature and away from wireless radiation will not only give your body a break, but your mind also.
Have a look below at the two diagrams below for both men and women that detail with darker green dots, the areas of the human body which are most vulnerable to developing cancer from radiation:
CONCLUSION
Staying away from all wireless devices is always best when it comes to protecting one’s self from radiation. But, of course, this is nearly impossible to do. We are constantly surrounded by wireless products used by others, as well as ourselves. Therefore, many of us will not abandon them altogether, but we can use better judgment as to how and when we interact with them. Entrepreneurs especially are attached to these devices. We practically run our entire businesses from them! That being said, if you own a iPhone, it may be best to use Apple’s AirPods to communicate directly with the device or when communicating on the phone. And guess what? You could always use the headphones included in the box…as inconvenient as that may be😎
