Do Apple AirPods and other wireless Bluetooth earphones cause cancer?
The internet is abuzz with rumours that Bluetooth earbuds like the Apple AirPods, PowerBeats Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds and Sony WF-1000XM3 could cause cancerous cells – but is there really anything to worry about?
The short answer: everybody, calm down. There's nothing especially harmful about Bluetooth radiation compared with other electronic devices. Still, like many of the other electronics that surround us, scientists can't say for sure this wireless technology is 100 per cent harm free.
The hubbub stems largely from a Medium blog post that came out earlier this year. The post cites Jerry Phillips, a biochemist who has studied DNA damage from electromagnetic fields. His research suggests it's possible, but not certain, that electromagnetic field activity might be messing with human DNA in a harmful way and that people should limit their exposure as a result.
“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,” he said.
There's no conclusive evidence that AirPods Pro or other Bluetooth headsets are dangerous
There’s really no evidence that radiofrequency (RF) radiation can cause brain cancer or noncancerous brain tumours in people.
The author of the post also said that, in 2015, a group of more than 200 international scientists sent an “appeal” to the United Nations and the World Health Organisation “expressing 'serious concern' about the non-ionising electromagnetic field (EMF)” that is emitted by Bluetooth devices, such as AirPods.
That's true, but the letter in question didn't specifically mention Bluetooth devices or headphones.
The scientists behind that letter are concerned about all kinds of electronics that emit non-ionising electromagnetic fields – the energy waves that travel at the speed of light in many electronics, including cellphones, Wi-fi devices, smart meters, baby monitors and broadcast antennas.
