Warning: Why You Should Avoid Using Your Laptop as Recommended

By Dr. Mercola

Using your laptop computer on your lap is, paradoxically, not a safe way to use it.

Just as research is emerging showing that cell phones should not actually be held right next to your head (for instance, the iPhone manual states the phone must be at least 5/8 inch away from your body or ear for “safe operation”), research is showing that spending long hours with a laptop on your lap — the use for which it is intended — is likely harmful.

Ironic, isn’t it?

Researchers Warn Laptop Computers Should be Renamed to Protect Users’ Health

New research published in the Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health evaluated five commonly used laptops of different brands.

After measuring the EMF exposure produced, researchers found EMF values were within the guidelines put forth by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), but “considerably higher than the values recommended by 2 recent guidelines for computer monitors magnetic field emissions, MPR II (Swedish Board for Technical Accreditation) and TCO (Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees), and those considered risky for tumor development.”

Further they noted that the EMF values became alarmingly high when the laptop was used close to the body:

“When close to the body, the laptop induces currents that are within 34.2% to 49.8% ICNIRP recommendations, but not negligible, to the adult’s body and to the fetus (in pregnant women).

On the contrary, the power supply induces strong intracorporal electric current densities in the fetus and in the adult subject, which are respectively 182-263% and 71-483% higher than ICNIRP 98 basic restriction recommended to prevent adverse health effects.”

This led them to conclude:

“Laptop is paradoxically an improper site for the use of a LTC, which consequently should be renamed to not induce customers towards an improper use.”

Even Typing on a Laptop May Expose You to Unsafe Levels of EMFs

If you use your laptop on a desk, as opposed to your lap, does this mean you’re safe? If you want to be sure your health is not at risk, not only should your laptop not be put on your lap, but you should not type on it either. As I explain below, I have used a gauss meter on many notebook computers, and found EMF levels higher than 100 milligauss on most of them; safe ranges are less than 0.3.