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Do Bluetooth Headphones Affect The Brain?

Ever since technology started improving at a rapid pace, we’ve basically witnessed all industries adopt some sort of innovation.

One of the tech advances that we’ve seen evolve is the Bluetooth headset which simply started out as a headset meant for situations in which a person could not pick up a phone but could only use a Bluetooth headset (like in the case of driving).

Today we are privy to Bluetooth headsets and headphones that are not only mouth and ear pieces but function just like normal headphones and headsets.

There are so many questions that surround Bluetooth…..however; this post will discuss whether or not Bluetooth headsets affect the brain.

With that said, let’s get to our discussion…..

Do Bluetooth headphones affect the brain?

According to an interview carried out with Dr. Jon Glass (by Jeffersonhealth), it is highly unlikely Bluetooth headphones have an impact on cancer development or any other kind of brain damage.

Bluetooth is in the non-ionizing group of EMR which emits low-frequency waves, it is therefore considered safe for humans, and not likely pose any health risks to the brain. This is because frequencies are too low to alter the cell structure.

However, these emissions may not be completely safe because there isn’t sufficient data to conclude that Bluetooth devices like headphones have ZERO effect on the brain, therefore, to be cautious, you could try to limit your exposure or usage of Bluetooth headsets.

Concerns

According to various research; the amount of radiation Bluetooth headphones emit is a lot less than what’s generated from a typical cell phone.

However, emissions aren’t the only factor that have to be taken into account when it comes to breaking down the impact of this type of radiation.

According to various health publications, the Specific Absorption Rate abbreviated as the SAR which is simply the amount of radio frequency the human body can absorb from a device, is also useful in figuring out how much radiation actually seeps into our bodies.

While Bluetooth and wireless headphones emit lower levels of radiation compared to a basic cell phone, their placement is a big concern to most health experts…

Particularly devices like Bluetooth headphones, wireless headsets or earpieces that are used close to the body or the head.

The actual exposure to the head when one is using a device like bluetooth headphones is only maybe half as much or a third as much as you might get from your cell phone,

The federal Communications Commission or FCC currently requires the SAR for wireless devices to be 1.6 watts per kilograms or less.

This figure was developed in the mid-1990s to protect consumers against short-term heating risks.

The SAR for Apple AirPods is about 0.466 watts per kilogram.

While the AirPod’s SAR is within the range of permitted amounts, many scientists worry that the current SAR regulations don’t effectively account for the risks that could come from prolonged to these low level emissions.

According to predictions by some experts, even at lower SAR levels, prolonged, chronic use of a wireless device could add up over time and negatively impact our health.

They claim that the cumulative exposure (through everyday use or prolonged use) to the brain from this microwave radiation could be substantial.

Putting all things into consideration, obviously there’s a great need to collect more data on the chronic exposure to radiation emitted from our wireless devices and how it affects or health as well as revisit the exposure limit guidelines accordingly.

Precautions

Until we have sufficient data from studying the effects of these emissions, we can only  take special precautions to avoid the potential health risks.

Phone calls

If you’re going to be on long phone calls, the safest way of doing this is using the speakerphone feature on your phone and/or ordinary wired headphones.

Podcasts

If you’re one of those people who listen to music or podcasts for hours everyday you may also want to use loudspeakers just to be safer.

This is most important for children, who are still developing and are more sensitive to radiation.

Poor reception

Other general precautions include keeping your cell phone about 10 inches from your face when you can.

Furthermore, only use your cell when the signal is strong, because poor reception emits more radiation.

It may be near impossible to completely avoid radiation these days, but we can all take a few steps like these to reduce the amount we’re exposed to on a regular basis.

Do Bluetooth Headphones Affect The Brain?
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