- Apple's AirPods and other wireless headphones emit small amounts of radio frequency radiation. So do cell phones.
- Scientists still aren't sure the dose is enough to harm us, and the studies they've done so far suggest that radiation from cell phones (far greater than what bluetooth devices emit) isn't leading to more cancer.
- The evidence we have so far suggests that consumers should probably be more worried about jamming something noisy into their ear canal every day, rather than the radiation devices emit.
If you've been on the internet lately, you might've heard that you should be worried about how Bluetooth headphones, like Apple's $200 AirPods, are affecting your risk of developing cancer.
The short answer: Everybody calm down. There's nothing especially harmful about Bluetooth radiation compared to other electronic devices. Still, like many of the other electronics that surround us, scientists can't say for sure this wireless technology is 100% harm-free.
The hubbub stems from a Medium blog post that came out earlier this month. 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 or other Bluetooth headsets are dangerous
There's really no evidence that radio-frequency (RF) radiation can cause brain cancer or non-cancerous brain tumors in people.
The author of the post also pointed out that in 2015, a group of more than 200 international scientists sent an "appeal" to the United Nations and the World Health Organization "expressing 'serious concern' about the non-ionizing electromagnetic field (EMF)" that is emitted by Bluetooth devices, like 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-ionizing electromagnetic fields - the energy waves that travel at the speed of light in many electronics, including cell phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters, baby monitors, and broadcast antennas.
"EMF Scientists have serious concerns regarding the ubiquitous and increasing exposure to radiation from wireless devices and antennas from all sources, including the pulsed digital signals Bluetooth transmits," Elizabeth Kelley, the Director of the International EMF Scientist Appeal, told Business Insider in an email.
However, most other scientists still hesitate to say there is conclusive evidence that the small doses of radiation from cell phones and Bluetooth headsets are dangerous.
"They don't have enough energy to cause cancer by directly damaging the DNA inside cells," according to the American Cancer Society.
The radio waves of electric and magnetic energy that radiate from cell phones, radios, and other types of wireless technology like Bluetooth are different from stronger types of radiation we're exposed to, including x-rays, gamma rays, and ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, which can break the chemical bonds in DNA.
In fact, as the California Department of Public Health points out, holding a cell phone up to your face emits much more RF energy than Bluetooth headsets like AirPods.
There's evidence that cell phone radiation can be harmful to rats, but not humans
Scientific studies to date don't suggest this kind of phone radiation is harmful to human sin the way that bigger doses of radiation from x-rays or solar UVs are.
But the same isn't true for rats. The US National Toxicology Program has found "clear evidence" that male rat exposure to extensive daily cell phone radiation is linked to more heart tumors, as well as "some evidence" that it's linked to more brain tumors. They can't say the same for female rats and mice (both male and female).
As scientists have found many times before, just because something happens in lab rats doesn't mean the same will be true in humans. It's tough to know if a cell-phone sized dose of radiation that human-sized beings are exposed to, day in and day out, is doing people any harm.
The evidence we have so far isn't convincing. One 10-year study across 13 countries that the International Agency for Research on Cancer conducted on cell phone radiation risks concluded that there's no increased risk of brain tumors in average cell phone users, but those scientists cautioned that more research is needed on some of the most intense phone users. (Again, the dose of radiation from Bluetooth devices is lower than from a cell phone.)
If you are worried about potential radiation risks, Kelley with EMF Scientist recommends swapping Bluetooth headphones for wired headphones. Even that technique only leaves a few feet of space between your brain and the RF radiation from your cell phone.
Whether you use AirPods or any other kind of audio listening device, it's probably best to spend more time worrying about moderating volume.
There, the science is more conclusive. Constant, repeated exposure to loud noises can lead to non-cancerous acoustic neuroma tumors that cause hearing loss, as well as constant ringing in the ears called tinnitus. If that happens, you might have to put a different kind of wireless technology into your ears. It's called a hearing aid.