Unveiling the Myths of AirPods

Rhys Kelly, staff writer

Not everything we hear about AirPods is true. These wireless headphones are pretty much everywhere you go, even at school. Many students use them to listen to music while they work, in the hallways or to watch a video in class. But because they are so popular, in recent months there have been many concerns and surrounding Apple’s AirPods. Some people say AirPods can cause brain cancer because they use Bluetooth, which gives off a type of radiation. On the other hand, some people are worried about ear damage. Well, its time to find out if  any of these claims are true.   

One of the biggest concerns raised about AirPods is that they increase your chances of getting brain cancer. This sounds very serious, especially because AirPods sit in your ear and are close to the brain. However, there is no proof that AirPods cause brain cancer. AirPods use Bluetooth, which gives off non-ionizing radiation, according to Healthline. This type of radiation is not as strong as radiation from sources like X-rays. Healthline also refers to a 2019 study that says Bluetooth headsets gave off 10 to 400 times less radiation than cellphones. 

A lot of people still have their concerns about the safety of airpods since Bluetooth is still a developing technology. Healthline is a medical and health news source that covers new treatments, emerging breakthroughs and general wellness. They explain that more research is needed to study the long-term effects of Bluetooth devices. Despite the unknowns around long-term usage of AirPods, it doesn't mean AirPods have been proven to cause cancer. There is a difference between something still being researched and something actually being proven dangerous. Right now, there isn't evidence that AirPods cause brain cancer. 

Yet this still leaves the question of whether AirPods are a problem. Even though there is no evidence to support the rumor that these earbuds cause increased cancer risk, there are some very real health problems that could come from using them. One of the biggest ones is listening to audio too loudly. If you listen to loud music for a long time at high volumes, it can damage your hearing and eardrums. This is a much more realistic scenario than students getting cancer from AirPods. Sometimes people turn their volume up way to high without even thinking about it, especially when they're in a loud place, or just want to jam out to their favorite tunes. 

There are also other bad habits people can have with AirPods. For example, some people wear them basically all day or even sleep with them in. Dr.Julie Zweig's who works in the field of sleep and hearing, writes in the  article “The Hidden Risks of Sleeping With Your AirPods,”, sleeping with AirPods can cause earwax and moisture to get stuck and build up in your ears. This could lead to an ear infection because the bacteria from earwax and moisture get stuck deep inside your ear. Sleeping with them can also make your ears hurt or feel sore. 

“Yeah they are safe, Bluetooth doesn't hurt your brain or anything, the only bad part is if you turn the volume up way to loud and ruin your hearing,”  said freshman John Horback. So even though AirPods aren't proven to cause cancer, using them too much, or irresponsibly can still cause some problems. 

Students should also be responsible with their AirPods. Making sure to keep the volume at a normal level, taking breaks, cleaning them and not wearing them all day can help prevent some of the actual problems. Just because AirPods aren't proven to cause cancer, doesn't mean you should have them in your ears at all times. 

In the end, the rumors about AirPods causing brain cancer aren't true from the evidence we have right now. There are still some real health concerns, mostly from listening at a high volume or wearing them for too long. AirPods themselves aren't necessarily the problem but using them in the wrong way can be. Instead of believing every rumor or theory we hear online, people and students should look at the facts and make smarter choices about when and how they use AirPods.