In 1946, a new advertising campaign appeared in magazines with a picture of a doctor in a laboratory coat holding a cigarette and the slogan: “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette.”
No, this was not a spoof. Back then, doctors were not aware that smoking could cause cancer, heart disease and lung disease.
In a similar vein, some researchers and consumers are now asking whether wearable computers will be considered harmful in several decades’ time.
Illustration: Mountain People
We have long suspected that mobile phones, which give off low levels of radiation, could lead to brain tumors, cancer, disturbed blood rhythms and other health problems if held too close to the body for extended periods.
Yet here we are in 2015, with companies such as Apple and Samsung encouraging us to buy gadgets that we should attach to our bodies all day long.
While there is no definitive research on the health effects of wearable computers (the Apple Watch is not even on store shelves yet), we can hypothesize a bit from existing research on mobile phone radiation.
The most definitive and arguably unbiased results in this area come from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a panel within the WHO which consisted of 31 scientists from 14 nations.
After dissecting dozens of peer-reviewed studies on mobile phone safety, the panel concluded in 2011 that mobile phones were “possibly carcinogenic” and that the devices could be as harmful as certain dry-cleaning chemicals and pesticides. (Note that the group hedged its findings with the word “possibly.”)
The WHO panel concluded that the farther away a device is from one’s head, the less harmful — so texting or surfing the Web would not be as dangerous as making calls, with a mobile phone centimeters from the brain. (This is why there were serious concerns about Google Glass when it was first announced and why we have been told to use hands-free devices when talking on mobile phones.)
A longitudinal study conducted by a group of European researchers and led by Lennart Hardell, a professor of oncology and cancer epidemiology at Orebro University Hospital in Sweden, concluded that talking on a mobile or cordless phone for extended periods could triple the risk of a certain kind of brain cancer.
There is, of course, antithetical research, but some of this was partly funded by mobile phone companies or trade groups.
One example is the international Interphone study, which was published in 2010 and did not find strong links between mobile phones and an increased risk of brain tumors.
Another study, in The BMJ, which measured mobile phone subscription data rather than actual use, said there was no proof of increased cancer. Yet even here, the Danish team behind the report acknowledged that a “small to moderate increase” in cancer risk among heavy mobile phone users could not be ruled out.
So what does all this research tell the Apple faithful who want to rush out and buy an Apple Watch, or the Google and Windows fanatics who are eager to own an alternative smartwatch.
Joseph Mercola, a physician who focuses on alternative medicine and has written extensively about the potential harmful effects of mobile phones on the human body, said that as long as a wearable does not have a 3G connection built into it, the harmful effects are minimal, if any.
“The radiation really comes from the 3G connection on a cellphone, so devices like the Jawbone Up and Apple Watch should be OK, but if you’re buying a watch with a cellular chip built in, then you’ve got a cellphone attached to your wrist,” Mercola said in a telephone interview.
That, he said, is a bad idea.
(The Apple Watch uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to receive data, and researchers say there is no proven harm from those frequencies on the human body. Wearables with 3G or 4G connections built in, including the Samsung Gear S, could be more harmful, though that has not been proved. Apple declined to comment for this article and Samsung could not be reached for comment.)
Researchers have also raised concerns about having powerful batteries so close to the body for extended periods of time. Some reports over the past several decades have questioned whether being too close to power lines could cause leukemia (though other research has also negated this).
So what should consumers do?
Perhaps we can look at how researchers themselves handle their smartphones.
While Mercola is a vocal proponent of mobile phone safety, he told me to call him on his mobile phone when I e-mailed about an interview. When I asked him whether he was being hypocritical, he replied that technology is a fact of life and that he uses it with caution. As an example, he said he was using a Bluetooth headset during our call.
In the same respect, people who are concerned about the possible side effects of a smartwatch should avoid placing it close to their brain (besides, it looks a little strange), but there are some people who may be more vulnerable to the dangers of these devices — children.
While researchers debate about how harmful mobile phones and wearable computers actually are, most agree that children should exercise caution.
In an e-mail, Hardell sent me research illustrating that a child’s skull is thinner and smaller than an adult’s, which means that children’s brain tissues are more exposed to certain types of radiation, specifically the kind that emanates from a mobile phone.
Children should limit how much time they spend talking on a mobile phone, doctors say, and if they have a wearable device, they should take it off at night so it does not end up under their pillow, near their brain. Doctors also warn that women who are pregnant should be extra careful with all of these technologies.
So what about adults?
After researching this column, talking to experts and poring over dozens of scientific papers, I have realized the dangers of mobile phones when used for extended periods, and as a result I have stopped holding my phone next to my head and instead use a headset.
That being said, when it comes to wearable computers, I will still buy the Apple Watch, but I will not let it go anywhere near my head and I definitely will not let any children I know play with it for extended periods of time.
[“New York Times” editor’s note from Saturday last week: The column discussing possible health concerns related to wearable technology gave an inadequate account of the status of research about cellphone radiation and cancer risk.
Neither epidemiological nor laboratory studies have found reliable evidence of such risks, and there is no widely accepted theory as to how they might arise. According to the WHO: “To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use.”
The American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have all said there is no convincing evidence for a causal relationship. While researchers are continuing to study possible risks, the column should have included more of this background for balance.
In addition, one source quoted in the article, Joseph Mercola, has been widely criticized by experts for his claims about disease risks and treatments. More of that background should have been included, or he should not have been cited as a source.]
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