First of all, before you consider the title and condemn your AirPod using friends, this applies to all wireless earbuds. Sorry, guys.
Whether you’ve got fancy AirPods or not, scientists are now warning that all wireless headphones may be bad for your health.
You’ve perhaps seen alarmist headlines claiming that your wireless headsets or earbuds could pose a cancer risk. But do you need to discontinue using yours?
In a recent Medium article, University of Colorado biochemistry professor Jerry Phillips suggests they may not be so safe.
“My concern for AirPods is that their placement in the ear canal exposes tissues in the head to relatively high levels of radio-frequency radiation,” Phillips says. He also suggested there may be risks such as “abnormal cell functioning,” which could cause tumors and other health concerns.
Of course, again, this isn’t limited to AirPods.
Somewhere around 250 researchers in more than 40 countries have expressed concerns. In fact, they’ve even signed a petition directed at the United Nations with regards to the non-ionizing electromagnetic field. This is, of course, the sort of radiation that’s emitted by wireless devices, including Bluetooth headsets.
Some say this radiation is potentially carcinogenic, including the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Of course, it’s impossible to avoid radiation altogether. The real question is how much of it should we readily, willingly, and unnecessarily expose ourselves to.
However, while some scientists are expressing concerns about how these things may be hazardous to our health, others disagree.
Some experts think that research that’s been conducted on these devices is conclusive in that they do no harm.
It comes down to who you trust and what you value most. If you love your wireless earbuds or AirPods, there’s plenty of evidence out there showing they’re safe to use.
To the contrary, if you’re concerned about the potential health risks of modern technology, it’s understandable. There’s also plenty of research to back up those concerns as well.
In short, potential carcinogens are everywhere. It’s up to you to decide which you willingly expose yourself to.
