The widely-shared picture about the dangers of Bluetooth headphones doesn't have enough proof

This picture, stating the critical harm of wireless Bluetooth, was widely shared on the internet. The picture contains a wireless headphone image beside the image of the human brain, leading the readers to feel that Bluetooth headphones affect our brains.

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Another Facebook post about the potential risk of cancer from Bluetooth headphones.

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As many people have been expressing concerns about what EMF waves can do to our brains, now let's find out what exactly EMF is.

EMF or Electromagnetic fields are the waves emitted by electricity in general, not only by Bluetooth devices but also by microwave ovens, mobile phones, and even computers.

Simply put, the EMF waves are already in our lives long before the invention of Bluetooth headphones. But are they perfectly safe for humans?

Claim: Bluetooth headphones emit EMF wave that increases the risk of cancer.

Fact: Many scientific results have confirmed that the quantity of EMF waves emitted from Bluetooth devices is safe for usage, according to the threshold set by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the EU.

Fact Check

According to Headphonesty, Many scientific pieces of evidence indicate that Bluetooth devices are safe to use and the specific absorption rate (SAR) level is moderately low.

SAR is the rate at which the human body absorbs energy per unit mass upon exposure to a radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field. Manufacturers worldwide that make radiation-emitting devices are required to comply with certain SAR levels to guarantee human safety.

The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) in the US mandates that phones have a SAR level of 1.6 watts per kilogram (W/kg) or less. The SAR limit for phones and other handheld devices in the European Union is 2 W/kg.

These amounts are considered safe for people. Anyway, SAR levels can be considerably lower with Bluetooth devices.

For instance, Apple Airpods have a SAR value of only 0.072 W/kg for the head, and 0.603 W/kg for the body, making Airpods in Class 1 transmission power, although at a safe level, this is high compared to other Bluetooth devices. Since most Bluetooth devices are in class 2 or 3, indicating lower SAR values.

These SAR values suggest that Bluetooth device radiation is safe for people to be exposed to. Furthermore, they are much below the minimum levels that could harm human health.

Dr Joel Moskowitz, director of the Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in cell phone exposure, noted that there is still no research on the possible harm to the brain. But he also does not think that these kinds of devices are also perfectly safe. He added that research and regulation on wireless technologies are just not keeping up, which could severely impact human health.

As the concerns about the connection between Bluetooth devices and the risk of cancer rises, many studies tried to find the results that support this claim. Anyway, there are no results that these devices have connected effects to cancer. However, according to Shiwangi Gupta, Radhey Shyam Sharma & Rajeev Singh's study on Non-ionizing radiation as a possible carcinogen in 2022, their research result has indicated that "Though the usage of such radiation emitting from mobile phones has risen steeply, there is a lack of proper knowledge about the associated risks".

It is also noteworthy that Bluetooth devices have far lower SAR than mobile phones. Hence, mobile phones' purported cancer risk can't be generalized to Bluetooth devices. Therefore, it makes sense to assume that they would even be less harmful than mobile phones.

In addition, Apple has confirmed to Reuters that their Airpods devices comply with all applicable requirements of the radio frequency limits and guidelines. And these products have been through multiple usage tests to ensure the safety of users.

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) informed Reuters that "no health problems should be expected" because "the latest evaluation of the scientific literature [shows] there is no scientific proof that EMFs cause cancer".

On top of that, A spokesperson for Public Health England noted that "There is no convincing evidence that exposure to electromagnetic fields has adverse health effects provided exposures are below ICNRP guideline levels".

Conclusion

The claim that the EMF wave in Bluetooth devices increases cancer risk is misleading since it lacks established evidence about the connection between Bluetooth headphones usage and cancer risk. Moreover, many guaranteed reports and Scientific studies have confirmed that Bluetooth headphones have no links to cancer risk.

However, despite the same level of safety as other electricity, there are still debates about the safety of Bluetooth headphones. Anyway, more research needs to be done to confirm the danger of Bluetooth headphones.

Additionally, suppose users want to ensure that the products they wish to purchase are safe enough. In that case, we suggest users look for expert reviews or specifications about SAR and EMR thresholds, which might help ensure that the Bluetooth devices they wish to purchase are safe enough. Using the devices within acceptable limits also reduces the risks of harmful effects, as mentioned above.