Ever since cell phones were introduced, we’ve all had a strong attachment to them. This attachment has increased even further as the technology has improved. Look at cell phones from when they first hit the mainstream compared to the way they are now.
Back then, they were used for making phone calls. Then came the ability to send text messages and play basic games. Camera phones started changing everything with those grainy photos. And then, behold…smartphones were born.
Smartphones have changed everything for us. For work, you can reply to emails on the go without delay, sending files while you go from one client to the next or updating your boss.
For personal use, you can upload all your weekend photos with a simply tap. Wherever you are, you can pull up a map and find out where you need to go. If you’re looking for information, it’s truly at your fingertips.
It’s a great time to be alive, a time when technology has allowed us to do so much with one simple device. We can even pass the time waiting by playing high-tech games on our phones!
But there is a dark side to this technology… the possibility for radiation hazards. Since 2013, this has been a source of controversy.
There are many concerns about health problems and radiation that comes from our cell phones. Can you use wired headsets to combat radiation? What can be done to protect your health around technology-based radiation waves? To find out, keep reading and you’ll know just what to do!
What Are Wired Headsets and What Is Radiation?
Some say you should choose a wired headset to keep radiation away. This is simply a device with an earpiece and sometimes a microphone you put on your ear. It connects to your phone through a cable. While you’re no longer hold your phone up to your head, these headsets still produce radiation.
The same is true of any wire that brings an electric current with it. But the good news is that the radiation from your wired headset creates weak radio waves for audio frequencies. These are difficult to detect no matter how sensitive the equipment is. In short, using a wired headset can be one of the safest solutions for anyone with a cell phone.
Do Wired Headphones Emit Radiation?
The answer to this burning question is yes, they do. However, you get the biggest dose of radiation when you hold your smartphone up to your ear. Keeping it close to your body like that while you gab on the phone exposes you to stronger radiation.
When you use a headset, you can put the phone down and away from your body to significantly reduce your exposure to radiation. While a wired headset does emit radiation, it’s at such a smaller amount that it is a much safer alternative to holding your phone to your ear.
Do you always hold the phone to your ear when you take phone calls? You can also reduce your exposure to radiation by using your speaker function.
This is a great solution when you’re alone in the car, but what if you need to discuss things that are more personal and are in line to pick up a coffee at your local café?
You’ll want to use a headset to keep everyone from hearing the entire conversation.
Additionally, if you want to reduce your wired headset’s radiation output, you should choose one that has a ferrite bead at the end, or even purchase that bead accessory separately to further reduce radiation from your headset’s cables.
The bead is made from iron and ceramic and serves to absorb radio waves. If you know any electronic technicians, ask them and they’ll tell you they use them to prevent different cables from creating radio interference.
Why Radiation Exposure Increases When Using Wired Hands-Free Headsets
The scariest thing most people don’t seem to realize is that it doesn’t have to take years of constant cell phone use to be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation affecting our brains. According to a study in Clinical Neurophysiology, it takes just minutes.
With this most recent study, it’s important for you to understand how you can reduce your radiation exposure from your smartphone.
It’s equally as important to understand more about wired headsets and what using them means for your health.
Cell phones work at higher power levels and cast off more microwave radiation, but that radiation can travel through your wires connecting it to your earpiece.
When that happens, it goes directly into your ear canal which researchers have discovered increases the brain’s exposure to radiation by 300%. Yikes!
And if you think you’re safe with your phone attached to your belt, think again! That radiation penetrates the entire area through your liver, kidneys, and reproductive organs because they conduct it better since there’s no skull to stop it.
So, in short, wired hands-free headphones don’t protect your brain from radiation and may even cause more of it to come into your brain via your ear.
But there’s no need to panic. If you want to reduce your radiation exposure from your technological devices, there is a way. Keep reading!
You might be looking at your wired headphones now with great trepidation. As you should! Being informed though is the key to keeping up with good health even in the face of radiation via technology.
There are viable options to partake in that can help. For example, there are air tube headsets that use acoustic technology which keeps that radiation away from your head.
Because this technology uses an air tube to conduct the sound to your ears, there aren’t any electrical components.
It’s a bit like a stethoscope in a doctor’s office using those air tubes to bring sound into your ears.
To protect your other body parts from radiation emitted from your cell phone, there are also radiation shielded cases that you can use when you carry it in your pocket or bag.
Clip-on ferrite filters also add an extra measure of safety. You can never be too careful.
If you’re trying to start a family or for women that are already pregnant, it’s really important to protect your inner organs from the damages that can come from radiation.
Are Phone Headsets Radiation Safe?
While research is still emerging about the hazards radiation can cause from frequent cell phone usage, it’s really best to err on the side of caution. You wouldn’t jump into a lake that has been contaminated with radioactive waste, would you?
The American Cancer Society (ACS) has also acknowledged that all mobile phones emit radiofrequency waves. In terms of cancer, there is concern about these waves increasing risk for brain tumors or tumors located in the neck and head area.
Most people make calls with the phone at their ear which in turn, exposes the brain to the radiation.
It makes sense that most people are protecting themselves in wise ways to help divert radiation away from their bodies.
Some phone cases are designed to keep radiation away while there are also headsets which also emit their own radio-frequency waves. Others rely on the speaker to keep their exposure down.
Even though wired headphones do emit radiation, it is a significantly lower exposure rate. Different health organizations agree that these headsets can be an effective measure in protecting from radiation exposure from your cell phone.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) both advise wired headphones as wise choices for keeping radio frequency radiation away from the body.
There’s a bit of a caveat to this though. While it’s true that keeping your phone further away from your body is decreasing the amount of radio frequency wave that get to your brain and lowering your exposure, standard headsets can contain metal wiring to conduct the sound. When it contains metal wiring, it can amplify that radiation.
Conventionally-made headsets have a wire cable. They basically act like an antenna that attracts EMFs which transmit radiation right into your brain.
The intent of hands-free kits like this was to be helpful, however, if they contain this type of wiring, they’re still drawing in radiation to your body.
■ What’s the Safe Solution?
That’s why so many people are now focusing on the air tube-style headsets instead. There is no metal in them though they plug into your phone with a headset jack just like conventional wired headphones do. Because these tools are hollow, they conduct sound through air.
This allows you to hear without conducting radiation into your brain. But choosing the right kind of headset is absolutely crucial to cut down your exposure.
Most people don’t want to give up their cell phones despite the warnings about radiation. Could you do it? It’s difficult in today’s world when we have everything we need for work, play, travel, contact, and information all on one handy tool that can work just about anywhere.
Cell phones have changed our lives and while they do have some drawbacks, when you manage your time on them wisely, they can save you loads of hassles.
Remember the old days of having to find an internet café or computer lab? Remember having to wait by a landline to get an important call? Our phones have liberated us, but they’re also causing us great harm.
The only solution is to get the kind of headsets that will reduce your exposure to radiation or use your speaker when talking on the phone.
Air tube headset designs are the surest way to reduce radiation exposure when using your cell phone to make phone calls.
There are other ways to minimize radiation with your cell phone and headphones too. To learn more, keep on reading so you’ll know how to protect yourself with today’s technology!
Tips for Reduce Headphone Radiation
Since the World Health Organization (WHO) has made its announcement that mobile phones are now in the same category as chloroform, lead, and engine exhaust, all carcinogenic hazards, it would be beneficial for you to take action now and reduce your radiation exposure via your smartphone.
Although there need to be more long-term studies conducted to draw a definite conclusion about radiation exposure from cell phones, enough data exists that the WHO feels it necessary to warn the public.
One of the things that’s been recommended is incorporating non-ionizing radiation which doesn’t cause damage to DNA in the same way.
Cell phones emit the same radiation as microwaves though on a lower power scale. You wouldn’t stick your head in the microwave, would you?
Likely, you stand far from it when you’re heating up something to avoid exposing yourself to that radiation. If it’s concerning enough for the WHO to make an announcement, it should be something you take steps to protect yourself from.
Fortunately, there are quite a few ways to keep yourself safe in the face of modern technology like cell phones.
■ Use Wired Technology
While wiring does conduct radiation, it’s on a much smaller scale. When you buy a new cell phone, you’ll find a wired earpiece of some kind included in the box.
It lowers your radiation exposure because you’re keeping the phone away from your body. The further you keep that phone from you, the better off you’ll be.
Not only can wired headsets help you reduce your exposure to that radiation, but they can also make for more comfortable phone calls.
Even Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the chief medical correspondent for CNN makes use of an earpiece, citing that it is more comfortable on his neck after long calls.
Smartphones aren’t anything like the old wall phones from ages ago. Home phone lines are becoming less common in favor of smartphones which can be used anywhere.
However, cradling a smartphone between your ear and shoulder while you try to do something is perhaps one of the most uncomfortable exercises known to man.
If you’re still worried, you can switch to the air tube-style headsets to be absolutely certain, or you can make a simple modification as detailed below. Keep reading!
■ Get a Ferrite Bead
To ease your fears, you can also buy a ferrite bead. They’re inexpensive and they attach to the wire of your headset.
This works to absorb radiation traveling through those wires and reduces the amount of it that comes into your body. Pairing it with your cell phone and headset, you can talk much more comfortably and safely.
■ Use the Speakerphone
You don’t want to be THAT person that has their entire conversation on speakerphone in the middle of a busy café.
It’s rude and disruptive to others, which is why when you’re out you should use the headset along with the ferrite bead or purchase an air tube-style headset.
When at home and on phone calls, using the speakerphone is a great solution to keeping safe from that radiation.
According to research, even if you keep the phone two inches away from you, it reduces the radiation exposure by four.
In the car, use that time to make your speakerphone calls too. You’ll be more productive and you won’t be annoying everyone within earshot about the minute details of your life.
■ Don’t Wear Bluetooth All the Time
Bluetooth wireless earpieces are also an effective solution, but you’re not free and clear of radiation from them either. They emit radiation levels of their own, albeit much less than the kind from your cell phone.
Some people seem glued to these though, or rather, have them glued into their ears. If you’re one of them, you should know that Bluetooth was not designed to be worn 24/7.
You need to take breaks from wearing it. Experts also advise that you alternate the ear you wear it in. This keeps you from having radiation exposure only on one side of your head.
Ideally though, now that you know more about how dangerous radiation from your devices can be, you’ll start wearing your Bluetooth wireless earpiece a little less often.
Try making phone calls on speakerphone in the privacy of your home, office, or car to reduce your exposure.
■ Watch Out for Radiation Hot Spots
Another thing you need to know about cell phones is that they don’t always emit a constant rate of radiation.
The highest levels come at the time when your phone is trying to connect to nearby cell towers.
If you’re at home, the chances of it switching up while you’re sitting on your sofa are quite slim, however if you’re on the road, it will keep connecting to the towers you pass as you move in and out of range.
This increases the radiation power to the max as your phone keeps making contact with a new antenna.
Conversely, weak signals will also make your phone work harder which leads to higher radiation emissions.
In the car, the best thing to do is put on speakerphone. Most states require you go hands-free while driving now anyway, so you should get in the habit. You don’t want an expensive ticket for violating the law.
Other places that you should avoid making phone calls are in elevators, tall buildings, and out in more rural areas. Your device is working harder to transmit and is essentially emitting more radiation.
■ Read the Fine Print in Your Manuals
Most of us have known how to use a phone since we were kids. When we buy a new one, we basically tuck the box in a closet in our home and take right to setting up that phone.
If you were to read what the manual of your smartphone says though, you’ll likely see that the safety manual advises you not to keep your phone right up to your head or stash it in your pocket.
If you know where your manual is, go dig it out and take a look. Manufacturers can’t provide any kind of guarantee that you’re not exposing yourself to dangerous levels of radiation if you don’t follow their guidelines.
■ Text Instead of Talk
Anyone that prefers texting over talking on the phone will be happy to hear this! You avoid putting that radiation up next to your head when you use texting or send emails through your phone instead.
The more intelligent the technology on your phone, the more radiation that you’re exposing yourself too, according to CNN Tech.
So send those texts instead! Unless you’re driving, then please use a hands-free method of communication.
You can enable talk to text on your phone and connect it to your car to let it do all the work for you. You can also use the speakerphone. You’ve got lots of options, but never text and drive!
And if you do need to talk to someone in real-time, keep the phone as far from you as you can.
Sometimes, we need to have regular conversations like the good old days.
That’s especially true when you want to hear the voice of a loved one. Texting shouldn’t replace verbal communication completely, but it is a safer alternative when trying to minimize your radiation exposure.
Conclusion
Wired headphones do emit radiation, though it’s on a much smaller scale than holding your cell phone up to your head.
You can use the air tube-style headsets to get piece of mind, use a ferrite bead, choose speakerphone, or even text to minimize your radiation exposure.
Knowing these things, you can now have peace of mind when using your cell phone and not have to revert to the olden days before the convenience of technology existed.