Many consumers may have concerns regarding the safety of using Bluetooth earbuds. Can the volume levels damage your eardrums? Are the radio waves emitted by the Bluetooth radio dangerous?
Volume Level
As with all portable listening devices, wireless earbuds should not be used at excessively high volume levels. ” [Earbuds] are even more likely to cause hearing loss than [traditional] earphones”, says Dean Garstecki, a professor of audiology at Northwestern University(1). Earbuds have the potential to cause more damage because they rest extremely close to the eardrums. High volume levels also mean less awareness of your surroundings. This is especially true of earbuds that act as earplugs to the outside world.
This means in order to safely use earbuds, one should reduce the sound volume and duration of use. ”Use headphones that do a better job blocking out background noise, and you won’t be as tempted to crank up the volume.” advises Dr. Daniel Landes, an ear nose and throat specialist(2). Many popular models of Bluetooth earbuds, like the Jaybird JF3 and the Sony DRBT100CX are designed to make a seal in your ear canal to effectively block out background noise.
