Broken Secrets

Bluetooth Headsets Can Reduce EMF Exposure

August 16, 2010 at 5:00 am Chad Upton 1 comment

By Chad Upton | Editor

Popular wireless devices such as cell phones and wifi transceivers produce electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

A lot of people are concerned about the health affects of EMFs, so the World Health Organization started a project in 1996 to study their effects on people.

They currently maintain that EMFs, “do not produce any known adverse health effect.”

Operating in the microwave frequency range of EMFs, there is no denying that cell phones induce some of the highest exposure. The UK’s Health Protection Agency claims that 1 year of wifi exposure is comparable to 20 minutes on a cell phone.

The additional exposure with mobile phones is attributed to two factors:

1. Close proximity to your head
2. High power output (to reach distant receivers)

Both the World Health Organization and the Health Protection Agency continue to review the effects of EMF exposure in humans.

The amount of energy radiated by each cell phone model is measured and tracked. This measurement is taken in watts of radiation absorbed per kilogram of human tissue (W/kg). The amount of radiation absorbed, varies across the body — it is typically averaged over 1 gram of head tissue.

Canada and the US allow up to 1.6 watts per kilogram of radiation in cell phones, while the UK allows up to 2.0 W/kg. cnet maintains an up-to-date ranking of cell phones that emit the highest and lowest amount of radiation. They range from 0.1 W/kg to 1.6 W/kg. Check your user manual to see if your phone is high or low.

Comparatively, many bluetooth headsets emit ~0.001 W/kg of radiation, making them far lower than the mobile phone itself.

If you use a cell phone a lot, you should probably be using a bluetooth headset or speakerphone instead of holding the phone against your head.

Many new cars include audio systems that integrate with your cell phone for hands free calling, these are great. If you want something similar for your car, you can get a bluetooth speakerphone. I’ve had really good luck with the BlueAnt Supertooth 3, it downloaded my entire contact list for voice activated calling and its noise cancellation is really great.

If you’re looking for a headset, be sure to check the class of bluetooth headset you get. Most bluetooth devices are considered Class 2 devices, meaning they output around 2.5 mW of energy, which is a very small amount. A “Class 2” device is likely what you want, which should translate to range of approximately 33 ft (10 meters). One of the most advanced and highest rated Class 2 headsets is the Jawbone Icon.

There are also Class 1 headsets, which give you much better range (up to 330 feet/100 meters), but they output more radiation, about the same as the phone itself. The Callpod Dragon is an example of a popular Class 1 headset.

Broken Secrets

Subscribe on: Facebook | Twitter | Kindle

Sources: cnet, business week, bluetooth SIG, Wikipedia (bluetooth, wireless safety), antiradiation

Entry filed under: Gadgets and Toys, Health and Beauty. Tags: cell, class 1, class 2, emf, microwave, mobile, phone, radiation.