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I have used regular and now wireless laptops for years and years, spending many, many hours per day on them. A while back my medical doctor told me to severely limit time on them. But my work pretty much requires that I use my laptop. What is so dangerous about laptops? Are desktops safer?

2006-08-18 10:54:38 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health Other - Health

6 answers

The website provided below has questions and answers from qualified medical personnel regarding such issues. Here is what I found:

"The radiation emission from any computer is RF (radiofrequency) waves. There is no proof that these are harmful unless the intensity is high enough to warm tissue (like a microwave oven). You are not putting yourself at risk (from radiation) by being on your computer."
AND:
" The only measurable radiation emission from a laptop computer is radio waves. We are constantly exposed to such radiation from all directions and multiple sources, including radio and TV signals, electronic appliances, etc. Current data indicate that these are not harmful to our health. There is, however, quite a bit of heat generated within the laptop while it is on. It is for this reason manufacturers recommend against extended periods of use with the computer on your lap."


http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/cat71.html

2006-08-18 12:03:28 · answer #1 · answered by Lissacal 7 · 0 0

While it is true that all active electrical items emit electromagnetic radiation the risks associated with such emissions are incredibly small. These risks are larger for computers with wireless devices, since wireless connections to networks use frequencies similar to that of mobile phones and microwaves (2-3 GHz) to transfer information. Thus both wireless laptops and desktops may have increased risk. Laptops are slightly more risky since they often placed on your lap and hence the source of electromagnetic radiation is closer to the skin.
However the risk is still vanishingly small. The signals are really tiny compared to a microwave. And there has not been one definitive large scale study which has shown any significant link with mobile phones (and by implication wireless commination) and poor health. You will get far more heating from conduction from the heat generated by the laptop than any emissions from the laptop.
I'm a doctor of physics who works in MRI, and if you could see the RF amplifiers used to generate the signals used in MRI for producing images you would understand MRI is in a different league emission wise compared to laptops. However MRI is still completely safe. I have had 200+ MRI scans for research purposes in the last 5 years, with no ill effects.
The same cannot be said for X rays. There is a reason why people who work with X rays wear the lead aprons and stand behind X ray proof screens. The risk with X rays is very real and measurable.
In summary the risk from a laptop is pretty much nil, certainly compared to X-rays.

2006-08-22 00:28:13 · answer #2 · answered by Dr GH 2 · 0 0

certainly more exposure from your laptop than from an MRI

On the other hand, the radiographers DOING the MRIs are closer to their computers than you are :)

Desktops are worse, but laptops are often just that - held on the lap!

(Have you had the kids you want to have already?)

Not so much about the time - it's about the distance.

Electromagnetic radiation decreases with increased distance according to an inverse square law. Staying twice as far away will reduce your radiation exposure by a factor of 4. On the other hand, it might make it harder to type or read the screen.

Or you might just have to find something else that will warm your lap on those cold commutes into the city.

2006-08-18 11:04:54 · answer #3 · answered by Orinoco 7 · 0 0

I don't see what can be so dangerous. There's nothing radioactive inside a computer, so that can't be it. Wireless computers use radio waves, and those are harmless - there's not nearly enough energy in them to do any damage. (No one ever worries about the radio waves coming to their stereos, after all.) Someone once told me that men shouldn't keep a laptop on their lap for very long if they are concerned about their fertilitiy (because of the heat) but even that is stretching it.

2006-08-18 11:05:27 · answer #4 · answered by kris 6 · 0 0

I think that you may have misinterpreted what they were saying, we are taught to compare things (everyday) objects or situations in order to basically show how safe and minimal the radiation is. Xray is ionizing radiation, but the amount, say we use on a Chest Xray is roughly the equivalent of the amount you receive just from living your everyday life for 10 days.
You also get more radiation from living at high altitudes and flying on airplanes (cosmic radiation), but I don't think that has stopped anyone!

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2016-11-26 00:41:02 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0 0

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