Do Wireless Earbuds Give Off Radiation?

Even though they’re mega popular, wireless earbuds have a dark side.
Like cell phones, earbuds emit wireless radiation.

Earbud Radiation

Do wireless earbuds give off radiation? Yes, they do. Earbuds continually transmit wireless radiation signals while they are in your ears. This signal is constantly being emitted, even if you’re not using the earbuds.

Earbuds sit near your skull. They transmit radiation directly into the ear and brain. The radiation is absorbed by your ear and brain tissues.

AirPod Radiation

The second generation of Apple’s brand of earbuds, Airpods, use Bluetooth Class 1 radiation that enables their signal to reach for hundreds of feet due to higher levels of radiation.

What’s more, Airpods use a technology called “near field magnetic induction” which enables the left Airpod to communicate with the right Airpod by sending a magnetic field right through the brain.

Like electromagnetic fields, strong magnetic fields have been linked to both cancer and oxidative stress.

Expert Opinion

Joel Moskowitz is a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as the director at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. For more than 40 years, he has conducted research on disease prevention and policies. In recent years, his focus has been on the adverse health effects of cell phone and wireless radiation.

When asked to comment about the potential effects of earbuds on health for a USA Today Fact Check piece, Moskowitz had this to say:

“In my professional opinion, the verdict is out on the safety of wireless headsets because the health effects from long-term exposure to this source of radiofrequency radiation have not been studied. The current RF exposure limits and testing procedures are inadequate to protect human health.”

The Catch 22 on Wireless Devices

The catch 22 on wireless devices is that they all technically fall underneath the levels of radiation that are currently considered ‘safe’ by the FCC. This is how they are able to be brought to market and sold to the public.

However, the issue with the current FCC’s radiation safety levels is that they are outdated. The FCC has not changed its radiation safety levels since 1996. However, since then, further research has been done that conclusively shows radiation exposure at the current FCC safe levels is not safe.

Due to the FCC ignoring the past 25 years of research on wireless and refusing to update their regulatory safe levels accordingly, they have been sued by the EMF watchdog group, the Environmental Health Trust. And, they lost.

This court case happened in 2021 and the courts demanded the FCC reveal why they are ignoring 25 years of scientific data on wireless radiation that shows it to be harmful to health.

Well, if they stop ignoring the 25 years of data, wireless devices like earbuds would stand a chance of not being able to be sold.

To Use or Not To Use Wireless Earbuds

With so much of everyday life revolving around the convenience of wireless, it can be tricky for people to completely avoid the use of these devices.

The bottom line is to know that you are dealing with devices that emit wireless radiation and treat them accordingly. If you are using wireless earbuds, you can minimize their use, by going back to wired whenever possible.

Earbud Radiation and EMF Protection

Since wireless earbuds do give off radiation, we recommend avoiding the use of wireless earbuds whenever possible. If they are used, we recommend minimizing the time they are worn as well as wearing or carrying EMF Protection Devices.

The ancient carbon-based stone Shungite harmonizes wireless radiation so it is no longer stressful to the body. Shungite stone can be worn around the neck while using earbuds, or as a bracelet, or it can be carried in a pocket.