AirPods: Are Apple’s New Wireless Earbuds Safe?
The third generation of Apple’s AirPods (aka AirPods 3) was introduced in 2021 and emit Bluetooth microwave or radiofrequency radiation (RFR) in the 2.402 – 2.480 GHz frequency range to communicate with a smart phone or other wireless device.
In the 1980s of course there were concerns about over-ear Sony Walkman headphones, and then about the ‘In ear’ headphones. With some justification the latter, when loud volume with no attenuation by distance or air was a predominant feature – and yes there were harms. These were acoustic mechanical waves however, with very different qualities to pulse modulated electromagnetic radiation.
AirPods have a SAR (specific absorption of radiation by tissue) rating of 0.626 W/kg, the ‘safe’ limit for phones is 2 W/kg. Remember that this is only an assessment of thermal effects, the ability to heat up tissue. It is the biological effects at non thermal levels of radiation that are of concern.
The microwave field strength measured next to the ear with an Airpod functioning can reach 15 V/m. This unit V/m is another that measures ‘power’. An iPhone in a pocket typically pulses 15 to 30 V/m.
The UK ‘safe’ thermal exposure limit is 60 V/m (averaged over 6mins), but these guidelines set by the ICNIRP are incomplete and have been found untenable in court. Organisations that advocate for safer non thermal limits advocate down to 1-2 V/m as possibly safe.
Note that whereas phones may be in use for 20-40mins at a time, an Airpod is often kept in the ears for hours at a time, and so the cumulative exposure is substantial.
There are 100s of credible studies that show that biological systems suffer from adaptive stress when exposed to chronic levels of RFR, therefore should we not consider that transmitting and receiving pulsed microwave signals inside the ears, either side of the brain, is probably not at all sensible ?
Whilst long term effects and actual mechanisms are being studied we would suggest that a Precautionary Approach to the use of Airpods would be sensible – i.e use for short periods and never go to sleep with them in. Turn all devices onto Airplane/Off at night.
For further reading : https://www.saferemr.com/2016/09/airpods-are-apples-new-wireless-earbuds.html
https://ehtrust.org/airpods-facts-health-effects-of-wireless-radiation-to-the-brain/
