Wireless. Wireless. Wireless.
Listening to music hands-free while squatting weights or plucking weeds or running errands became easier with wireless headphones. No longer did music lovers have to swat away cords in their face or detangle wires for two minutes before jumping on a call.
Along the way, scepticism grew about the health consequences of Bluetooth and wireless devices. The main potential culprit: radiation.
Bluetooth devices emit a type of electromagnetic radiation that can come from both natural and man-made sources like mobile phones, X-rays and the sun.
Electromagnetic radiation comes in two forms, ionising and non-ionising. Ionising radiation has enough energy to potentially damage cells and increases the risk of cancer. X-rays and the sun, for example, emit different levels of ionising radiation. Bluetooth, however, emits non-ionising radiation and has less energy to affect people.
A 2024 study of 600 participants reported an association between prolonged Bluetooth headset use (more than three hours a day) and a higher incidence of thyroid cancers. The study, conducted as a self-reported questionnaire from WenJuanXing in China, had many limitations, including a lack of diversity, not using age as a contributing factor and potential bias that can occur in self-reporting.
“Thus, future research should employ more precise tracking technologies for usage duration to enhance the objectivity and reliability of the data,” the study stated. “These metrics do not inherently imply causality.”
Current scientific consensus, supported by agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization, indicates that low-level non-ionising radiation does not carry enough energy to directly damage DNA, making a direct causal link to cancer “biologically implausible.”
The more immediate concern for headphones, according to doctors, are their effects on hearing.
Dr Duncan Hanby, an ear, nose and throat physician and section head at Ochsner Health’s The Grove, said it all comes down to volume.
‘Don't put it at max’
Earbuds themselves are not necessarily harmful, but how they are used can be. The biggest concern is listening at high volumes for extended periods of time.
Over time, repeated exposure to loud sounds can damage the delicate hair cells inside the inner ear that are responsible for hearing. Once those cells are damaged, they do not regenerate.
“The biggest problem right now is that kids wear these headphones, and parents don't realise how loud they're listening to things until they've been doing it for years,” he said. “Sometimes they have hearing damage already.”
According to the American Osteopathic Association, hearing loss linked to headphone usage is increasing. About one in five teenagers will experience some form of hearing damage, which is about 30% higher than it was 20 years ago.
A good rule, according to Dr Janet Choi, an otolaryngologist with Keck Medicine at the University of Southern California, is to put headphones at 60% volume for 60 minutes at a time.
“There's no clear guidance for recreational noise exposure at this point,” Choi said. “But we don't want to put headphones at maximum volume.”
Choi treats many Los Angeles-area musicians who are often exposed to loud volumes at concerts, rehearsals and practice spaces. She recommends “high fidelity earplugs,” or hi-fi's, to reduce loud noise exposure at an even decibel level without distorting or muffling sounds.
Hanby, who primarily sees patients in the Baton Rouge area, also recommends ear protection for hunters.
“Going on just one hunt without ear protection can permanently damage your hearing,” Hanby said. “And once it's gone, it's gone.”
There are some issues with headphones with moisture and infection in the ear canal, according to Hanby.
Headphones and earplugs need to be sanitised often as bacteria is likely to build up over time and after repeated use.
“Wipe the headphones on a regular basis with an alcohol swab,” Choi said. “Especially if there is a history of ear infections, like in swimmers.”
Some headphones even have replaceable tips that can be a secondary option to keep up with earpiece hygiene.
Here are some early signs to look out for that indicate hearing loss:
- Frequently asking people to repeat themselves;
- Difficulty following conversations in crowded settings;
- Turning on the television or phone volume up higher than others prefer;
- Feeling like people are mumbling;
- Trouble hearing high-pitched sounds such as birds, alarms or children's voices;
- Ringing, buzzing or humming in the ears.
– The New Orleans Advocate/TNS
