No Headphone Jack for the iPhone 7 Means More Radiation
It’s official! The new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be without a traditional headphones jack. Instead, users can opt for wireless AirPods, which will be on sale as a premium accessory. These details were unveiled during Apple’s keynote event in California.
The Daily Mail reported that the company is aiming for a “wireless future.” With no headphones to jack into a more streamlined iPhone, users will be introduced to wireless earpods that are sleek and water-resistant. If you’re going to ask the company’s senior VP for worldwide marketing, “The reason to move on is courage.”
However, health advocates are concerned with the potential deleterious effects of Apple’s wireless future.
Dangers of the AirPods and iPhone
Apple’s AirPods will function through Bluetooth. With this, users will be exposed to low-intensity radio waves that will come from the earpods straight to our ears. This alarmed Dr. Joel Moskowitz of UC Berkeley School of Public Health. In an interview with the Daily Mail Online, he said that “users will put a microwave-emitting device next to their brains.”
According to research, these low-intensity radio waves are proven to wear down our body’s blood-brain barrier. This is bad since this barrier acts as our shield from chemical toxins. Even if the exact frequency of these AirPods is not yet made public, Apple assured the public that it will follow FCC guidelines.
The new iPhone has also re-ignited the public’s trepidation on electromagnetic radiation. Since most mobile phone users hold their phones directly to their ears, they become vulnerable to radio frequency exposure (RF exposure). Using AirPods also poses the same risks, according to an adviser for a health group.
RF exposure can cause cancer. As per the World Health Organization, RF electromagnetic fields from wireless devices are classified as carcinogens. “This is based on an increased risk of glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.”, CNN reported. Studies also correlate the prevalence of brain tumors in the United States and other countries with cell phone radiation.
Bluetooth headphones, such as Apple’s AirPods, release non-ionizing radiation. Although not as hazardous as ionizing radiation, scientists ask consumers to be cautious.
Safety Precautions for RF Exposure
Rather than using wireless earphones, experts believe that using headsets that can be jacked into handheld devices is safer. Apple also suggests its consumers to “opt for a hands-free alternative and carry their devices at least 5mm away from their skin.” Moskowitz also advised the public to turn off the Bluetooth of their wireless earpods when they’re not using them.
Using iPhone cases that have radiation shielding technology will not only protect your smartphones, but can also keep you from harm. SafeSleeve’s cell phone and laptop cases are known to block up to 99 percent of extremely low frequency (ELF) radiation and radio frequency (RF) radiation. These emissions are associated with cancer.
Nevertheless, being well-informed with the dangers of mobile phone radiation will keep you out of harm’s way. After all, knowledge is power.
