Are Wireless Bluetooth Headsets harmful?

X-Machine · 25th November 2008, 17:49

Hi. I've been using WBH since the past 6-7 months now, with fortunately no major issues. Suffered minor headache for the first 2-3 days, but was absolutely fine since then.

I've heard stories like the radiations these devices generate can lead to headaches, hearing loss, migraine etc. Is this true?
Ive checked with my family physician as well, and he said its effects are yet to be ascertained.

Im sure like me, many others here are addicted to WBHs. Please put down your experiences of the same. Thanks.

vikram_d · 25th November 2008, 18:31

You decide for yourself.

Bluetooth: Dangerous Waves?

Do wearing bluetooth handsfree for 3-4 hours/day has health hazards?

Prowler · 27th November 2008, 11:16

There was a time I was earning my living by mending high tech gadgets. One of my subjects was microwave oven. Some people disable the intricate safety mechanism built into the door locks. This would result in the magnetron (the heart of a microwave oven) working even when the door is open. The Lady using the oven will get cooked under the circumstances. She would switch off the mains at the outlet everytime she opened the door. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I had to improvise a quick means of finding out if the safety features are enabled or not. So I used a half cut potato kept at the threshold when I check. The potato will blister if the radiation is leaking.

Mind you it puts out around 600 W of microwave energy. Compared to that, a blue tooth device hardly pumps out 20 milliwatt of radiowaves. The power output is not enough to cause any serious damage to humans. Unless you are pregnant, you are safe to use blue tooth devices. May be your mobile puts out more RF power compared with a Blue Tooth gadget under some circumstances.

X-Machine · 27th November 2008, 16:56

Hmm. Thanks for the response guys. So the outcome is that WBH is not really dangerous. Probably people with 'existing' complications are bound to get more affected.

condor · 27th November 2008, 17:35

The radiation from the BT headset would be mostly when talking. At other times, there would just a keep-alive pulse. So it should not really be a cause for concern.

I guess even the signals coming from the various cell towers around us would be stronger than the radiation from the BT headsets.

Prowler · 28th November 2008, 11:20

>>The radiation from the BT headset would be mostly when talking. At other times, there would just a keep-alive pulse. So it should not really be a cause for concern.

I guess even the signals coming from the various cell towers around us would be stronger than the radiation from the BT headsets.

The power of RF radiation emanating from a nearby tower is inversely proportional to the distance. As a corollary, unless you are very close to the towers, your body hardly sustains any harmful levels of radiation.

As condor says, the residual level will be very minimal. But when you start talking, you would need to worry about your mobile's radiation level. If you are not getting the right level of signal from the tower, your mobile automatically tries to increase the transmitting power to reach the tower.

Sahil · 28th November 2008, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Machine

Suffered minor headache for the first 2-3 days, but was absolutely fine since then.

Really?

Are you sure it wasn't just a psychological reaction. I haven't heard of anyone actually getting a headache due to this.

DCEite · 28th November 2008, 12:19

See there are a lot of things which the medical system has not yet ascertained. Although various studies have been and conducted and many going on, there is no concrete conclusion.
For example the bad affects of smoking were not known to the medical science decades ago. It was slowly that ill effects were known.

So you never know.
But as a thumb rule: Excess of anything can prove bad.

Sudipto-S-Team · 28th November 2008, 12:28

I don't know about the physical damages that it can cause, but it's a visual pollution. People who wear them look like telephone operators away from their desk !! I mean it's okay if you are really using it but wearing it as a fashion accessory is like eeeeeeks!!

spadival · 28th November 2008, 12:37

Agree with Sudipto. Some people seem to think its cool to wear them all the time. While the risks are unknown, the least you can do is to reduce the risk - not wear them when you don't need to.

Swifty2008 · 28th November 2008, 13:22

I use it very rarely. It would be harmful but not very much. But obviously not good for long use.

X-Machine · 28th November 2008, 15:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahil

Really?

Are you sure it wasn't just a psychological reaction. I haven't heard of anyone actually getting a headache due to this.

Yep. Since i wear it on the right ear, the entire right-side of my head was feeling a little heavy. And this, after the WBH was on the ear for 4-5 hours continously while driving.

condor · 28th November 2008, 15:26

Quote:

Prowler

: If you are not getting the right level of signal from the tower, your mobile automatically tries to increase the transmitting power to reach the tower.

That's only with CDMA handsets. Not GSM. Also the reason why CDMA handsets will run out of power faster in areas of poor signal strength.

rammishra · 29th November 2008, 16:18

Bluetooth devices transmit a 2.4 GHz signal for communicating with parent device. It is RF energy in milliwatts which is being transmitted. RF energy in small quantity can be absorbed by human body but when a human is exposed to More powerful RF energy source he can feel symptoms like headache,uneasiness,nausea, rising body temperature etc. Even microwave ovens which cook our food use RF energy but with more power.

So lesson is though bluetooth devices transmit at very less power which is not veryharmful still we should avoid prolonged use of these devices for our safety.

RP

Prowler · 30th November 2008, 13:02

>>Bluetooth devices transmit a 2.4 GHz signal for communicating with parent device. It is RF energy in milliwatts which is being transmitted. RF energy in small quantity can be absorbed by human body but when a human is exposed to More powerful RF energy source he can feel symptoms like headache,uneasiness,nausea, rising body temperature etc. Even microwave ovens which cook our food use RF energy but with more power.

Bluetooth operates at between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz. And most devices emit about 1 mW compared with some models of Mobiles which can belt out as much as 3 W. Microwave ovens use magnetrons which throw out around 600 W of 2450 MHz RF energy.

25th November 2008, 17:49	#1
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	Are Wireless Bluetooth Headsets harmful? Hi. I've been using WBH since the past 6-7 months now, with fortunately no major issues. Suffered minor headache for the first 2-3 days, but was absolutely fine since then. I've heard stories like the radiations these devices generate can lead to headaches, hearing loss, migraine etc. Is this true? Ive checked with my family physician as well, and he said its effects are yet to be ascertained. Im sure like me, many others here are addicted to WBHs. Please put down your experiences of the same. Thanks.
	() Thanks

25th November 2008, 18:31	#2
vikram_d Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,427 Thanked: 1,185 Times	You decide for yourself. Bluetooth: Dangerous Waves? Do wearing bluetooth handsfree for 3-4 hours/day has health hazards?
	() Thanks

27th November 2008, 11:16	#3
Prowler BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Madras Posts: 775 Thanked: 1,326 Times	There was a time I was earning my living by mending high tech gadgets. One of my subjects was microwave oven. Some people disable the intricate safety mechanism built into the door locks. This would result in the magnetron (the heart of a microwave oven) working even when the door is open. The Lady using the oven will get cooked under the circumstances. She would switch off the mains at the outlet everytime she opened the door. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I had to improvise a quick means of finding out if the safety features are enabled or not. So I used a half cut potato kept at the threshold when I check. The potato will blister if the radiation is leaking. Mind you it puts out around 600 W of microwave energy. Compared to that, a blue tooth device hardly pumps out 20 milliwatt of radiowaves. The power output is not enough to cause any serious damage to humans. Unless you are pregnant, you are safe to use blue tooth devices. May be your mobile puts out more RF power compared with a Blue Tooth gadget under some circumstances.
	() Thanks

27th November 2008, 16:56	#4
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	Hmm. Thanks for the response guys. So the outcome is that WBH is not really dangerous. Probably people with 'existing' complications are bound to get more affected.
	() Thanks

27th November 2008, 17:35	#5
condor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Speed-brkr City Posts: 15,864 Thanked: 16,018 Times View My Garage	The radiation from the BT headset would be mostly when talking. At other times, there would just a keep-alive pulse. So it should not really be a cause for concern. I guess even the signals coming from the various cell towers around us would be stronger than the radiation from the BT headsets.
	() Thanks

28th November 2008, 11:20	#6
Prowler BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Madras Posts: 775 Thanked: 1,326 Times	>>The radiation from the BT headset would be mostly when talking. At other times, there would just a keep-alive pulse. So it should not really be a cause for concern. I guess even the signals coming from the various cell towers around us would be stronger than the radiation from the BT headsets. The power of RF radiation emanating from a nearby tower is inversely proportional to the distance. As a corollary, unless you are very close to the towers, your body hardly sustains any harmful levels of radiation. As condor says, the residual level will be very minimal. But when you start talking, you would need to worry about your mobile's radiation level. If you are not getting the right level of signal from the tower, your mobile automatically tries to increase the transmitting power to reach the tower.
	() Thanks

28th November 2008, 12:19	#8
DCEite Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NCR Posts: 3,418 Thanked: 2,567 Times	See there are a lot of things which the medical system has not yet ascertained. Although various studies have been and conducted and many going on, there is no concrete conclusion. For example the bad affects of smoking were not known to the medical science decades ago. It was slowly that ill effects were known. So you never know. But as a thumb rule: Excess of anything can prove bad.
	() Thanks

28th November 2008, 12:28	#9
Sudipto-S-Team Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 1,320 Thanked: 290 Times View My Garage	I don't know about the physical damages that it can cause, but it's a visual pollution. People who wear them look like telephone operators away from their desk !! I mean it's okay if you are really using it but wearing it as a fashion accessory is like eeeeeeks!! Last edited by Sudipto-S-Team : 28th November 2008 at 12:30.
	() Thanks

28th November 2008, 12:37	#10
spadival Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 1,773 Thanked: 26 Times View My Garage	Agree with Sudipto. Some people seem to think its cool to wear them all the time. While the risks are unknown, the least you can do is to reduce the risk - not wear them when you don't need to.
	() Thanks

28th November 2008, 13:22	#11
Swifty2008 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 236 Thanked: Once	I use it very rarely. It would be harmful but not very much. But obviously not good for long use.
	() Thanks

29th November 2008, 16:18	#14
rammishra BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 86 Thanked: 18 Times	Bluetooth device Bluetooth devices transmit a 2.4 GHz signal for communicating with parent device. It is RF energy in milliwatts which is being transmitted. RF energy in small quantity can be absorbed by human body but when a human is exposed to More powerful RF energy source he can feel symptoms like headache,uneasiness,nausea, rising body temperature etc. Even microwave ovens which cook our food use RF energy but with more power. So lesson is though bluetooth devices transmit at very less power which is not veryharmful still we should avoid prolonged use of these devices for our safety. RP
	() Thanks

30th November 2008, 13:02	#15
Prowler BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Madras Posts: 775 Thanked: 1,326 Times	>>Bluetooth devices transmit a 2.4 GHz signal for communicating with parent device. It is RF energy in milliwatts which is being transmitted. RF energy in small quantity can be absorbed by human body but when a human is exposed to More powerful RF energy source he can feel symptoms like headache,uneasiness,nausea, rising body temperature etc. Even microwave ovens which cook our food use RF energy but with more power. Bluetooth operates at between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz. And most devices emit about 1 mW compared with some models of Mobiles which can belt out as much as 3 W. Microwave ovens use magnetrons which throw out around 600 W of 2450 MHz RF energy.
	() Thanks