In this article, learn everything there is to know about Bluetooth® wireless radiation, from smartphones, headsets, and similar devices and whether this can have a detrimental effect on your hearing. If you think you are suffering from a hearing condition, you can take Amplifon's free online hearing test or get your hearing checked at the Amplifon centre nearest to you.
The connection system, which serves to connect two devices, uses short-range radio waves that consume very little energy. Bluetooth technology uses the 2.45 gigahertz (Ghz) frequency range. It is via this frequency that two connected devices can exchange data packets, i.e. transmit information.
In other words, thanks to Bluetooth, it is possible to send and receive numerous files, such as images, videos, documents, and more. Even though the latest devices can provide coverage of up to 50 metres, the radiated Bluetooth signal usually does not exceed a distance of 10 metres. The Bluetooth network is not subject to frequency interference.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer has declared EMF (the electromagnetic frequency radio waves on which Bluetooth is based) as potentially carcinogenic to humans. However, the link between radiation, glioma and neurinoma was reported only in 10% of the people who claimed to use their phones frequently.
In some cases, these users spoke on their phone as much as 4 and 5 hours per day. Prospective research, which included the Million Women Study and involved 800,000 British women, examined the risk of developing a brain tumour over seven years of telephone use. The conclusion drawn was that there is no cause-and-effect relationship, except for a possible link with neurinoma of the acoustic nerve, which had already been highlighted in Interphone. In addition to this, there is also the prospective Cosmos study, which started in 2010 and will run for 20-30 years.
To reduce exposure to Bluetooth radiation, we recommend devices of power classes 2 and 3.
At the moment, Bluetooth seems to be a relatively safe technology, both for adults and children, thanks to its low signal strength, that is even lower than that of a normal home Wi Fi network.
Book an appointment and come and visit us at one of our Amplifon clinics, our hearing care professionals will be ready to answer any of your curiosities about the world of hearing and to show you our range of Amplifon hearing aids.