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Many tech writers are touting the positive implications of this seismic shift for cell phones: better sound quality, a thinner design and superior water resistance, to name a few.
But the new wireless AirPods (which will be available for purchase as a premium accessory) will effectively put radio transceivers in your ears, a decision that could impact your health.[…]
“I think it’s unfortunate, because Apple themselves acknowledges in their fine print — often hidden — that you need to keep cell phones … away from the ear, and most people don’t do that,” says Dr. Anthony Miller, senior adviser to the Environmental Health Trust, an activist group that studies radiation and cell phone usage.
Most people talk on their cell phones while holding them directly in contact with their ear, and Apple does make warnings regarding radio frequency (RF) exposure available to consumers, but it’s buried in the legal section of the company’s website. You can also find it on your iOS by going to Settings -> General -> About -> Legal -> RF Exposure.
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For the penultimate iPhone, the 6s, Apple recommends: “To reduce exposure to RF energy, use a hands-free option, such as the built in speakerphone, the supplied headphones or other similar accessories. Carry iPhone at least 5mm away from your body to ensure exposure levels remain at, or below, the as-tested levels.”
In 2011, the World Health Organization classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans, “based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.”
The RF of any wireless device — a cell phone, Bluetooth headphones or a wireless router — emits non-ionizing radiation. These devices aren’t as dangerous as those that emit ionizing radiation, such as X-ray machines, but some experts remain wary of them nonetheless.
“The biggest problem we have is that we know most environmental factors take several decades of exposure before we really see the consequences,” Dr. Keith Black, chairman of the neurosurgery department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told CNN when the news broke.
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Like Davis, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent and practicing neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta says he always uses a wired headset when talking on his cell phone.
“It’s a pretty simple thing to do, and nearly eliminates all exposure from the cell phone,” said Gupta.
Miller, a former World Health Organization adviser and self-proclaimed Mac aficionado, said he uses a wired internet connection in lieu of Wi-Fi whenever possible. He hardwires his desktop at home and, when he is forced to use a laptop while traveling, always places it on a tabletop instead of on his lap.
“With phones today, we’re kind of where we were with cars in the ’60s,” says Davis. “Some people said we needed seatbelts and airbags; now everyone agrees we do.”.
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