Concerns have been raised by a group of scientists about the possible carcinogenic effects of electromagnetic radiation emitted by modern devices. Of particular concern are wireless headphones like Apple’s popular AirPods as they sit in the ear canal exposing fragile tissue to potentially dangerous levels of radiation.

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Ever since Apple banished the headphone jack on its iPhone 7 line, it has sold millions of its wireless AirPods. In fact, Apple has sold an extraordinary 44 million pairs of them which doesn’t come as a surprise given how ubiquitous they seem to have become. However, a group of some 250 scientists have joined a petition to the UN led by the International Electromagnetic Field Alliance (IEMFA).

The scientists have raised serious concerns about the risks to people exposed to non-ionizing radiation including extremely low frequency fields (ELF) used for electricity and radio frequency radiation (RFR) used in wireless communications. This includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular data. In other words, exactly the sort of wireless connectivity found in abundance in our smartphones and related wireless tech like AirPods and Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds.

According to studies, ill effects of exposure to these types of radiation has resulted in cancers in animals. The petition calls for action by the UN to take leadership of the potential health issue on a global level. What makes wireless headphones that sit within the ear canal more risky is because they sit right next to more delicate tissue. The researchers think that current guidelines permit levels of exposure that might still be dangerous.

Although there is no conclusive evidence of the potential dangers of electromagnetic radiation at current exposure levels, the scientists who have signed the petition call for further studies and testing before new, higher frequency, technologies like 5G become ubiquitous.