Are Bluetooth headsets and earphones Safe?

Photo credit: Ranjith Alingal @align_all @unsplash 
Are Bluetooth headsets and earphones Safe? | @healthbiztips

Are Bluetooth headsets and earphones Safe?

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan | Health blog

A growing number of people are concerned regarding the potential health implications of the ever increasing popularity and utilization of Bluetooth earphones and headsets. Arguably, do Bluetooth devices increase one's risk of cancer or can it make you sick in some way?

First of all, even when the question of whether or not Bluetooth devices do pose a health risk is answerable by an absolute yes or no, the truth is, we're still in the dark regarding this topic. What we can say is that there are indeed risks.

Research in animals revealed that exposure of rodents to high levels of nonionizing radiation can in turn lead them to develop cancer, although, this alone can not conclude whether wireless devices are indeed cancerous to humans since the amount of electromagnetic radiation people get from using these kinds of technology is considerably lower.

However, this also does not mean that Bluetooth devices are safe.

According to the WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), exposure to radiofrequency EMF (electromagnetic field) is possibly carcinogenic. This again brings us to the fact that even the World Health Organization is uncertain about the conviction of whether EMF does cause cancer, but it does point out that it's not completely risk-free.

Cellular phones emit about 10 to 400 times stronger electromagnetic radiation than Bluetooth headsets. So. If you're concerned that your Bluetooth headset exposes you to undue radiation, then you'll be much more worried about your phone, which holds merit considering that the usage of mobile phones have been associated with an increased predisposition to the development of glioma, a malignant brain cancer.

An obvious challenge is there may simply not be enough data to fully shed light on this topic considering wireless headset and earphones are relatively new. Since people have just begun to use wireless devices in the emergence of the 20th century, there may not be enough data to which we can draw conclusions. Take into consideration that cancer takes time to develop, so the result of it's increased usage, particularly to the younger generation may yet to be felt.

Meanwhile, there are some individuals who have hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields. Which means exposure to low frequency radiation coming from phones and wireless devices can trigger symptoms like headache, nausea, fatigue, tinnitus, and irregular heartbeat among these vulnerable population.

Bluetooth devices emit non-ionizing forms of radiation and in the case of Bluetooth headset and earphones, it's comparatively lower than the ones emitted by mobile phones, roughly 10 to 400 times less. Wifi is another kind of nonionizing radiation which many people are exposed to everyday.