The Safety of Electromagnetic Waves (EMF) within Regulatory Limits

1. Key distinction: 

non-ionising

 vs ionising radiation

• Emissions from mobile phones, Bluetooth devices (such as AirPods), WiFi and similar technologies are forms of non-ionising radiation. This means they do not carry enough energy to break chemical bonds in DNA, unlike X-rays or gamma rays.
• The main recognised effect of such radiofrequency exposure is tissue heating at very high intensities. Below the limits set by international safety standards, this heating is negligible. (who.int)

2. Safety rules and standards: Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) and international guidelines

• Devices such as mobile phones or Bluetooth earphones must comply with the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). This measures the amount of energy absorbed by the human body. Manufacturers must ensure their products remain below the strict thresholds defined by authorities such as ICNIRP or the FCC. (icnirp.org)
• The ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) provides detailed guidelines to limit exposure, particularly around the head and body.

3. Epidemiological research and risk assessments: no consistent evidence of harm

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that, to date, no consistent evidence links radiofrequency fields from mobile phones, within regulatory limits, to harmful health effects. (who.int)
• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) similarly concludes that available data do not support claims of increased cancer risk or other severe effects from normal mobile phone use within safety limits. (fda.gov)
• A recent WHO-led review (2024) covering over 60 major studies conducted between 1994 and 2022 found no evidence of higher risks of brain or head and neck cancers linked to long-term mobile phone use. (reuters.com)

4. The case of AirPods and Bluetooth devices

• Independent fact-checking organisations confirm that there is no credible scientific evidence showing AirPods or Bluetooth headsets cause harm when used normally. (fullfact.org)
• Bluetooth operates at much lower power levels than mobile phones, meaning its emissions are well below the SAR thresholds applied to mobile devices.

5. Population-wide observations

• If mobile phones were significantly harmful under normal exposure conditions, we would expect to see a clear rise in certain cancers (e.g. brain tumours) as mobile usage skyrocketed in recent decades. Yet cancer incidence rates have remained stable, without such a surge. (fda.gov)

Important considerations

• Science cannot “prove” a universal absence of risk for every scenario. There remain some uncertainties, particularly regarding very heavy long-term use, children’s exposure, or emerging technologies such as 5G. However, no robust evidence of harm has been demonstrated so far. (arxiv.org)
• Regulatory limits are deliberately set with wide safety margins, meaning that as long as devices comply, any potential risk is considered extremely low to negligible.

Conclusion

In summary, devices such as mobile phones and AirPods, when operating within official safety limits (SAR values, ICNIRP guidelines, national regulations), are not regarded as dangerous by the scientific consensus to date. There is no solid evidence that normal use causes cancer or other serious health effects.