Impact of Laptop Radiation and Measures to control them

The fact that the laptops that we use in our offices, schools, colleges, and home emits radiation is not at all alien to us, but all of you will agree that most of us have no in-depth knowledge regarding the same. So, in this very article today, I am going to share with you almost each and every necessary detail relating to it. Let us now start this very important and crucial discussion without any delay.

Just like some of the other electronic gadgets like – cell phones, computers, laptops also somewhat belong to the very same family which releases EMF radiations. But, all these devices emit different ranges and frequencies of radiation and have their own set of threats. Laptops usually emit huge quantities of three types of such radiation, but again the most dangerous thing about that is how near are they from us?

I know that different people place laptops in their desired position, while typing, or playing games, or watching their favourite videos, web series, movies, or simply YouTube, and so on. Some people place a laptop on their lap, while some on their stomach, while someplace it on a desk, and so on.

Laptop Radiation

Before we proceed further into it, the meaning of laptop radiation must be known to all of us. As I stated earlier that this EMF radiation is composed of three different radiations and they are – Magnetic, electric and radiofrequency. And to your surprise, whenever your laptop is connected to WiFi, it proudly emits these three radiations. I know all of you might be a little worried and thinking of the possible ways to protect yourself from these deadly radiations. But before we get into that, we must understand these radiations in brief.

First comes the electric field, in simple words, the more you go away from the source emitting it, you are safer and safer from it. It means that the distance between you and your laptop matters a lot here. When it comes to the magnetic field, the LCD itself is the biggest source of this radiation. Let me share with you some of the tested data about the magnetic field emitted by LCD of laptops towards you with respect to the distance between you and your machine:

• One inch distance – roughly 25 to 500 mg
• One foot distance – roughly 0.4 to 20 mg
• Three-foot distance – roughly 0.1 to 1.5 mg

So, you can imagine the amount of radiation that you get from your gadget every day. And to your surprise, not only LCD but also the motherboard and power inverter are very factors that contribute to the same. Though the amount of radiation emitted by different components of your laptop might vary the overall range is approximately the same as the above-mentioned values. 

Now, when it comes to the Radiofrequency radiation, it is emitted usually due to the wireless data transfer that takes place via Bluetooth, WiFi, and so on. Yes, WiFi and Bluetooth are the two main sources of this dangerous radiation, so let us discuss them in brief:

WiFi Radiation:

First of all, let me showcase you the level of radiation that you are prone to with respect to the distance between you and your laptop if you happen to be using a laptop connected to a WiFi connection, as displayed by an esteemed institute:

• One inch distance – roughly 4.8 mW/square metre
• One foot distance – roughly 1.2 mW/square metre
• Three-foot distance – roughly 0.21 mW/square metre

This radiation is generated by receiving and sending information packets while you happen to play high-end games online, or stream full HD videos, or simply browse the net or carry on with your day to day tasks. The main reason behind this phenomenon is that information in both the cases of Bluetooth and WiFi is sent over packets, and those packets happen to be none other than small alternating currents.

Now, in simple words, the only way to protect ourselves from these uninvited guests is to move as far as possible from our lappy, but it is also not at all possible, so, what is the solution? The answer is that there is something that can help you out in this case, but we will discuss that shortly. However, remember that the most effective way to protect ourselves from it is that we should ensure that our head remains at a distance of at least one foot from the laptop, though the rest of the body can be near it the head should never be within the range of one foot.

Bluetooth Radiation: 

The second major source of Radiofrequency radiation is here. Even if your laptop is not connected to any other Bluetooth device, but your Bluetooth is on, then also you are in danger as your gadget will continuously give off this radiation in search of other Bluetooth gadgets, though the intensity of radiation is very much lowered here. 

As we have studied about the different types of radiations of laptops and the main parts of laptops that emit it, now it is the time that we learn about the dangers associated with them. There are no doubt many risks and dangers involved in them, let us explore them:

• Fertility

It is one of the main threats of this deadly radiation. So, if you happen to be using your laptop while placing it over your lap or stomach, then you should change this bad habit of yours right now. As, in this case, you are prone to two dangers, namely – heat generated by the laptop and the heinous radiation emitted by it. And this is not some predicted fact, rather it is scientifically tested and proved data and many studies have shown that if any man happens to use a laptop connected to WiFi above his stomach or lap for a long time or frequently, then it can drastically affect and reduce his sperm count, and not only that, it also affects the quality of sperm. In worst cases, that person will not be able to reproduce on his own.

• Pregnancy 

This radiation does not have any soft corner for the ladies, instead, all ladies and gentlemen are equal in its eyes. In simple words, if you are pregnant, and happen to be using a laptop connected to WiFi or Bluetooth placed on your lap or stomach, then your goal to deliver might be something very hard to achieve. Not only that, but miscarriage might also be the only outcome in many cases as suggested by many relevant studies. And even if you are not pregnant, then also you possess serious threats as you might also face the same problems in future.

• DNA Damage 

Multiple research and studies have shown that increased exposure to this radiation can even damage your DNA and this can even lead to Cancer. So, it may straight away lead to fragmentation of your DNA and lead to many serious health risks which are even not possible to cure. Glioma, a type of brain cancer is also one of the examples of many serious diseases that one can catch.

Now, you might have understood the risks associated with the radiations of your laptop. Let us now try to understand the serious threat that is possessed by heat produced by our laptops. It is also of great concern, and if you are the guy who uses it a lot on your lap or stomach, then you should be very careful from now onwards, as when a laptop is being used in its full potential, then it generates a tremendous amount of heat. This has many adverse effects on your skin as it can result in lasting changes in your skin and also affect the pigmentation of your skin and also possesses many more threats.

Let us now know about some of the methods with which we can reduce the impact of these serious threats:

1. The first thing which all of us can do is reduce the time that we spend with our machine, yes, it may be hard to achieve, but still, we can try to practice this as much as possible. You can simply start this by taking some break between your working schedule and then get back to the work again, and do not just go on for a prolonged session. And in case you are using your gadget just for entertainment or gaming purposes, then make sure to take long breaks in between.
2. The second thing that all of us need to do is to maintain a safe and secure distance from our machine and maintain this practice always. I strongly suggest and request you to keep your head at least one feet away from your laptop whenever you are using it, and also try to keep the rest of your body as much away from it as possible.
3. The third thing is that if for any reason you have to keep your laptop on your stomach or lap, then make sure you have a protection shield beneath your laptop, and in case you do not have it, you can also use a blanket beneath it, and it will help you in reducing the impact of the radiation and heat produced by your laptop to a minimum and protect you from the danger. But in this very case also, the distance between your laptop and your head should be at least one foot.
4. Last but not least, you must turn the WiFi off when you do not need it, there are many instances when we keep the WiFi on for no reason, so from now onwards, we must change this unhealthy and bad habit and turn this devil off if it is not needed at that very moment. Just remember, whenever you need it, it is a boon, and whenever you do not, then it is a bane.

I can simply conclude by saying that there are many gadgets and devices which emit harmful radiations and this does not mean that we stop using them all, but yes, it is very important that we remain alert all the time and maintain necessary precautions to remain safe and secure all the time. Thus, this was all for it, I hope you have found it useful.