Agree or not, wireless headphones, nowadays called earbuds, have never trended like this before. As technology advances, gadgets are speedily evolving to become better than ever.
However, there’s some speculation circulating about the regular use of wireless headphones among people. It’s about whether it’s safe for health to use wireless headphones, I’m sure you’ve heard about it.
Wireless headphones are harmless to your health unless there’s excessive use. Excessive use of headphones can lead to the deterioration of ear health and eventually, permanent hearing loss.
Another speculation is that wireless headphones can cause cancer – due to Bluetooth radiation that emits from them. We’ll discover if that’s true or not in this article, so let’s get started!
Do Wireless Headphones Cause Cancer?
There have been countless debates in the past years, about whether earbuds can cause cancer.
Many people claim that wireless headphones emit radiations that are dangerous and may cause brain or ear cancer.
People have their claims regarding wireless headphones. However, there is no authentic report in support of these claims.
Non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF) can indeed cause harm in high doses but the amount of electromagnetic field emitted by wireless headphones and AirPods is very low, posing low health risks.
Generally, there is no connection between cancer and wireless headphones, the possibility of causing ear or brain cancer is unlikely because radiofrequency radiation (RFR), another type of radiation emitted by earbuds is low.
According to many experienced experts, wireless headphones are safe to use and they will not cause any damage to your health unless you exceed an exception.
The radiation emitted from wireless headphones is very low so you don’t need to worry about wireless headphones causing cancer, however, excessive use can lead to serious health problems.
Are Wireless Headphones Healthy?
It’s better to use electronic gadgets under supervision and not exceed their usage. The evident reason is, the number of health issues that correlate with excessive use of technology.
Although Bluetooth radiation can’t be enough serious to affect your health, an overuse can surely lead to deafness and permanent hearing loss, causing ear health issues.
The best way to use wireless headphones is by limiting usage from 60 to 90 minutes maximum and turning down the volume to 60-70%. As you reach 90 minutes of use, turn down the volume even low.
Wired Or Wireless Headphones?
Do you think you are the only one confused about choosing between wired or wireless headphones? Well, then it’s not only you, many people deal with confusion about headphones preferences.
Although wired headphones are less trendy than wireless headphones nowadays, they are better than their counterpart in different aspects.
Wired headphones are present since 1910, a little longer than wireless headphones. Wireless headphones emit more radiation than wired ones, which is almost negligible to be considered harmful.
Why do People prefer Wired headphones?
Wired headphones are a good investment as they are comparatively more cheap and affordable. Moreover, there are fewer chances of them getting lost or stolen, and most of them not needing to be charged.
Secondly, most wired headphones sound better than wireless headphones, their audio quality is claimed to be much better than wireless headphones.
They are believed to be more durable than wireless headphones because in wireless headphones components can easily break after a potential fall.
Some wired headphones don’t require charging, they can be used anywhere and at any time. But it has one inconvenience, the cord attached to it may get in the way.
Although wireless headphones were introduced in 2004, they became widely available in 2010. It’s heaven for people who are fans of music.
By using wireless headphones you get rid of distractions made by wires especially while gyming or running.
You don’t have to detangle them, you just need to plug them in your ears as you take them out of your pocket. With AirPods, you get a case to keep it safe.
Typically, wireless earbuds can work for 6 to 7 hours when fully charged varying on different brands, however, some wired headphones don’t need charging.
There are two types of wireless earbuds:
- Wireless earbuds with a cable need to be charged after around 6 hours of usage.
- Truly wireless earbuds that can work for 6-7 hours, depending on the battery, have longer battery life after every charge due to which they can get easily be carried during a walk, long meeting, road trip, etc. They have an almost similar battery capacity to wireless headphones with a cord.
If your wireless headphones (specific to a brand like Apple) get lost, you can track their location through your phone and can easily find them.
Wireless headphones brands are working on the betterment of audio quality and it’s improving gradually.
How Bluetooth Headphones Work?
Bluetooth emits radiation that connects wireless headphones with different devices. However, it doesn’t emit harmful radiation, it’s safe to use.
Bluetooth headphones apply a technology called A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile). It allows connecting wireless headphones to your device by sending high-quality audio signals via Bluetooth.
A2DP is a Bluetooth stereo profile that is responsible to connect Bluetooth from one device to another however, it’s worthwhile to note that not all devices can support A2DP.
Bluetooth work by sending radio waves in the 2.4 gigahertz range. This radio waves range is similar to the range of wifi routers and like other devices which use almost 2.4 gigahertz range.
Bluetooth headphones do emit radiation but they are of a minor frequency range. Bluetooth emits non-ionizing radiation, which means that it can’t break any atom or molecule, being very low and not considered harmful.
Despite that, the drawback of Bluetooth wireless headphones is that if two or more people use wireless headphones in the same room, some connectivity issues might occur.
Disadvantages Of Wireless And Wired Headphones
| Wireless headphones | Wired headphones |
| They are pretty Expensive. | They have distracting cable wires. |
| They have low audio quality. | Wires easily get tangled when kept in a pocket or a bag. |
| Their batteries are inconvenient. | They look outdated. |
| They are not durable. | They may not be a future-smart choice. |
| They are non-reliable. | It limits your mobility. |
Advantages Of Wireless And Wired Headphones
| Wireless headphones | Wired headphones |
| They are unlikely to tangle up. | They are affordable and last longer. |
| They look modern and trendy. | They don’t require charging. |
| Mobility is easier with them on. | They are ideal for professionals. |
| They are less likely to be damaged. | They are likely to be damaged. |
Why Pay Extra When You Don’t Have To?
As we know wireless headphones are on the expensive side, they are convenient to use but you’ll always worry to charge them. Wired headphones are a better option as they give better audio quality at a much lesser price.
Generally, the wired version of headphones is preferred over wireless headphones. You may want to save money and spend on some other things like investing in a better phone, buying new gadgets for yourself, or having a good number of cafe visits.
Every person has a worth for extra money because not everyone can throw cash around willy-nilly. For example, students try to maximize their budget for textbooks.
When you try to save money, luxury products aren’t something you should buy.
Let’s watch this video below, doctor Ankur Parikh has discussed whether wireless headphones pose the risk of cancer:
Summary
- Wireless headphones do not cause brain or ear cancer.
- They are not harmful to our bodies unless there’s overuse.
- Wireless headphones emit radiation and radio waves that are very low in frequency.
- An overuse can affect ear health, leading to hearing loss.
- Wireless headphones and earbuds are trendy and easy to carry.
- They are rechargeable devices.
- The cons of wireless headphones are that they can be lost, they are non-reliable, and non-durable.
- By wearing wireless headphones you can move easily without disturbance, do gymming, running, or any other work.
- Wireless headphones are usually more expensive as compared to wired headphones.
- The popularity of Bluetooth wireless headphones has increased in the past few years but with it, the popularity of health risks posed by using them has also increased.
- Extensive use of headphones either they are wired or wireless can cause severe damage to your health.
- Longer use of headphones can lead to hearing loss, headache, and earache.