Will Bluetooth and wireless LANs fry your brain?

10 October 2001 Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT

There is some consternation in the market about the possible health risks posed by new wireless technologies. In several studies, cellular phones have been found to affect the health of some individuals. The emergence of wireless technologies such as Wireless LANs (WLAN) and the feted Bluetooth have raised similar questions, since these radio devices emit radio frequency electromagnetic energy. Fanning this argument is the fact that both of these technologies operate in the same 2,4 GHz frequency spectrum as microwave ovens.

In September 1992, the Standards Coordinating Committee 28 of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) approved the IEEE Standards for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, IEEE C95.1-1991. This standard came to fruition after serious scientific research, and deliberations between various stakeholders. The report states: "Measurements have shown that routine exposure of users and other persons to low power portable and mobile transceivers and cellular telephones do not induce rates of [radio frequency] absorption that exceed any of the maximum permissible rates of energy absorption defined by these guidelines". Therefore, based on present knowledge, the exposures from low-power transceivers are considered to be without risk for the users and the public. (Quoted from the IEEE USAB Entity Position Statement Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Fields from Portable and Mobile Telephones and other Communication Devices, December 2, 1992.)

"These standards have proved, after more than 40 years of research, that exposure to the radio frequencies that wireless technologies such as Bluetooth and WLANs emit is harmless to humans," states Andre Rossouw, Toshiba Product Manager at SDD. "Toshiba is committed to the wireless revolution, and has been first to market with such products as the Toshiba Bluetooth PC card. Toshiba conforms to all international standards, and thus ensures users that all Toshiba wireless technology is safe," he explains.

Wireless technology is poised to drastically alter the way we communicate and interact with hardware and each other. Bluetooth and WLANs will free us from all cables, enabling us to move, work, play, live in a free and untethered environment. "The safety of this technology is imperative, and has been proved to be harmless," concludes Rossouw.

For further information contact Andre Rossouw, SDD, (011) 652 8222, [email protected]

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