BLUETOOTH
Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. It is used for exchanging data over short distances with compatible hardware like computers, mobile phones, gaming console and wireless audio devices (of relevance to this topic). It was invented by Dr. Jaap Haartsen in 1994 while he worked at Ericsson.
Bluetooth transmits data over a physical range of less than 10m and up to 100m with UHF radio waves of short wavelength within frequencies of 2402-2480MHz with 2MHz guardbands at the bottom and 3.5MHz at the top.
Bluetooth was named after a certain Danish Viking king, Harald Blåtand, who ruled over Denmark and Norway. The idea of naming Bluetooth as "Bluetooth" which is the English translation of "Blåtand," was proposed by Jim Kardach of Intel in 1997, who was supposedly reading The Long Ships, a historical novel about Vikings and King Harald written by Frans G. Bengtsson as at the time.
Bluetooth transmitters are components of many electronic devices like Bluetooth enabled gadgets and the cellphone that allow such devices to communicate by generating and emitting radio waves. They come in three classes:
Class I: Have a range of 100m and a peak transmission power of 100mW. They are used mainly for industrial purposes.
Class II: Transmits data over a range of 10m and has a peak transmission power of 2.5mW. This is the class of Bluetooth transmitters found in mobile phones.
Class III: Have a range of 3m and work at 1mW power.
BLUETOOTH HEADSETS
Bluetooth headsets are wireless audio devices which when connected with a cellphone, employ the principle of the bluetooth technology to communicate with the cellphone through a microphone and earpiece hands-free. The hardware to be connected with the Bluetooth headset has to be Bluetooth enabled and paired with the headset. We are familiar with this process. As expected, there are three classes of Bluetooth headsets; I, II and III.
Pairing provides the platform for the Bluetooth headset and compatible device to exchange information.
BLUETOOTH RADIATION
Bluetooth radiation is emitted from Bluetooth headsets while in use. This radiation is a type of radiowave frequency; microwave radiation of short wavelength and rapid oscillation.
Benefits of the Bluetooth headset
Regulatory bodies have tagged Bluetooth radiation safe to the human body. In a study carried out by the Swedish National Institute for Working Life, it was found out that cellphone users have a risk greater by 240% of developing brain tumors on the side of the head where they place their phones. The RF waves of the cellphones affect human health adversely, so the Bluetooth headset was invented to alleviate the menace of the nasty wires associated with wired headsets and reduce the amount of cellphone radiation the brain is exposed to while using cellphones.
It is a lot safer to use the Bluetooth headset than make calls with the cellphone close to the head.
Bluetooth headsets offer other advantages including:
• Hands-free use of the cellphone,
• Better sound quality,
• Increased productivity,
• Comfort
HEALTH RISKS
While the headset offers beautiful advantages, there are certain dangers associated with its use.
The question is- The Bluetooth radiations are supposedly safe. How safe are they?
I'll give a simple illustration. I have an empty bowl. I'm trying to fill this bowl by adding water one drop after the other. If I don't get tired of adding water in drops, I'll expect that over a long period of time, the bowl will be full of water, right? To apply this situation to the Bluetooth headset, continual and extended use of the headset and prolonged exposure to the microwave radiation, as safe as it is claimed to be will definitely amount to something. After all,
Radiation is radiation.
Studies by Nittby et al in 2009 have shown that pathological leakage of the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) results from as short as a two-hour exposure to Bluetooth radiation, and can cause neuronal death (death of brain cells) at 0.012 to 0.002 W/Kg. Little wonder why Bluetooth headsets are linked to brain tumours.
Also, to think that by using a Bluetooth headset, you're exposing yourself to the Bluetooth radiation combined with the reduced amount of radiation you're receiving from the cellphone (since it's a little distance away from you) is unavoidable.
Prolonged exposure to microwave radiation has been associated with cases like:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Cancer,
- Brain tumour,
- Leukemia,
- Multiple sclerosis,
- Certain birth defects etc.
It is said that Class III headsets expose us to the least amount of radiation compared to Classes I and II. Unfortunately, Class III headsets are little or no longer in the market.
Lloyd Burrell from www.electricsense.com suggests alternatives like using an airtube headset or connecting a retro handset to your telephone.
Remember, the ultimate goal is to minimize radiation exposure by as low as possible.
So before you buy that headset, consider the health risks associated with it. They are relatively as unsafe as other wave emitting devices when consistently used over a long period of time.
SOURCES:
https://www.rfsafe.com/bluetooth-radiation-dangerous-cell-phone-radiation/
https://www.electricsense.com/1791/bluetooth-radiation-lets-be-clear-on-the-dangers/
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