Nowadays, everyone seems to be going wireless. In just 2016 alone there were 28 million AirPods sold! The Doctors ask the question, might these wireless headphones and AirPods cause a health risk? A petition was signed by 250 scientist and experts expressing concern that these types of earbuds pose a cancer risk. The Doctors are joined on Skype by the Medical Director of Precision Medicine at Cancer Treatments of America, Dr. Ankur Parikh, to get his opinion on the topic.
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Dr. Parikh doesn't think these wireless earbuds are a cancer risk right now given that there is a lot of conflicting data out there that still needs to be interpreted. He says even putting your cellphone up to your ear is more radiation to the head area than wearing those earbuds. With children, however, more caution should be taken since both their hearing and nervous systems are still developing and the long-term side effects or consequences of these earbuds are just not known yet.
Dermatologist Dr. Sonia Batra brings up that as a mother she worries about her kids wearing them. "We just don't really know over time that kind of exposure... by the time in twenty to thirty years these children are developing neurological tumor or ear tumor I feel like it's really too late." Dr. Parikh, who is also a parent, agrees, it's best to be cautious and for children stick to wired headphones when needed.
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The best thing we can all do is to be mindful. ER physician Dr. Travis Stork says it's a dose-response relationship. There's not an identified risk just yet but use with caution. Wear the earbuds while working out or on a phone call, but avoid leaving them in all day long. "Everything in moderation," Dr. Parikh concludes.
