Are EM/RF emissions from computers really an issue?

[smopoim86]

Like the title is electronic emissions from a computer really harmful?
They cant be any worse that cell phones and radio can they?

EDIT: Has there been any research about this, like if a case has a window, or if you run with the side panel always off?

I'm betting a cellphone will cause cancer first and i need to quit being so paranoid, right?

 

[BrownTown]

no

 

[Aluvus]

Harmful to humans? Oh good lord no. Very little radiation makes it out of the case, but you could sleep with your head inside the case of a running computer and the only real ill effect would be an inability to sleep due to the noise.

As for cell phones: yes, you take in substantially more radiation from using a cell phone. And there is still nothing substantive to indicate that those levels of radiation are dangerous. There is a great deal of research on this, and still nothing that conclusively demonstrates a non-trivial risk.

Wireless networking equipment (the new boogey man) is similarly safe, as are reqular radio and television broadcasts.

A lot of time and resources are put toward ensuring these things pose no significant risk to human health.

 

[Cogman]

eh? I don't really understand why anyone would be worried about EM emissions for a computer. My wireless mouse is giving off more radiation then my computer is.

Radiation is not as bad of a problem as it is made out to be. Many people worry and complain about how much they get from different things, but I really don't think it is anywhere near the threat that people make it out to be (For example those that talk about cell phones causing cancer, really, how many people do you know with cell phones that have brain or testicle cancer?, then compare that to how many people you know that don't have cancer. As well, for fun you can look at the people that had cell phones from back to 1980's or so)

 

[dkozloski]

All the far out fringe risks dejour are nothing compared to smoking and second hand smoke. It's safe to say that if you're a heavy smoker or live with a heavy smoker you have nothing to fear about dying from EMR from a cell phone or computer or anything else.

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: Cogman

(For example those that talk about cell phones causing cancer, really, how many people do you know with cell phones that have brain or testicle cancer?, then compare that to how many people you know that don't have cancer. As well, for fun you can look at the people that had cell phones from back to 1980's or so)

What have you been doing with your cell phone?

 

[Bowsky]

I would assume putting it in his pocket. After all I'm sure the phone still sends signals when closed to keep in contact with the towers.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: Bowsky
I would assume putting it in his pocket. After all I'm sure the phone still sends signals when closed to keep in contact with the towers.

I doubt that the cell phone would send out a signal to the towers during its down time. It would be a drain on the phone's battery especially since the transmitters can send out the pings and what not to the phones.

 

[Qacer]

Most EMI and RFI issues that I've encountered had more to do with device & component compatibilities than health issues. Really, according to the "books" (regulations and studies) most common electronic goods besides celly phones (see [1]) pose little harm in terms of radiated emissions. Unless of course you are dealing with a device that has a high powered transmitter and stand next to its antenna, then that might be an issue.

[1] The World Health Organization has ruled that cell phone base stations are harmless. They have not decided on the actual mobile units. You can see more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_radiation_and_health . The cell phone issue is mostly dominated by the fact that its frequency of operation lie in the microwave range, which is where the resonant frequency of water molecules lie. In this range, the water molecules "can gain energy faster than it can dissipate." You can read more about it here: https://ask.nsdl.org/default.aspx?id=11695&cat=1206

 

[Born2bwire]

I should probably mention though that computer cases are designed with reduction of EM radiation emissions in mind. One example of this is that the case's grill over the blow holes is spaced such that it will attenuate most microwave emissions. All of this is probably more in lines with stuff like FTC regulations than health concerns.

 

[Gannon]

Originally posted by: Aluvus
Harmful to humans? Oh good lord no. Very little radiation makes it out of the case, but you could sleep with your head inside the case of a running computer and the only real ill effect would be an inability to sleep due to the noise.

As for cell phones: yes, you take in substantially more radiation from using a cell phone. And there is still nothing substantive to indicate that those levels of radiation are dangerous. There is a great deal of research on this, and still nothing that conclusively demonstrates a non-trivial risk.

Wireless networking equipment (the new boogey man) is similarly safe, as are reqular radio and television broadcasts.

A lot of time and resources are put toward ensuring these things pose no significant risk to human health.

While a lot of time is spent on ensuring no ill health effects, you can never be too sure with imperfect knowledge and moving targets with technology and biology. Look at how many chemicals or foods that were 'thought safe' now have 'health risks', because we understand more about biology know then say 50 years or more ago.

Most things that are harmful to human beings are also helpful in the correct ratio's. i.e. too little oxygen in your blood is not good for you, while too much, is also not good for you, this is regulated by many systems in your body. Same with blood sugar, etc, etc. I'm sure we'll find more fine tuned similar things with various forces of physics, they just have smaller effects.

The thing is with science, if you can't measure it or don't know what you're looking for, you're not going to know about it. You need a way to bring it into your awareness. I wouldn't rule anything out, when it comes to wireless stuff... since knowledge is a moving target as our knowledge and tools to measure advance we might find small cumulative effects over longer periods of time.

 

[Never Knows Best]

Only thing that matter with interference is the clock spread spectrum.

http://www.techarp.com/showFreeBOG.aspx?lang=0&bogno=266

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: smopoim86
Like the title is electronic emissions from a computer really harmful?
They cant be any worse that cell phones and radio can they?

EDIT: Has there been any research about this, like if a case has a window, or if you run with the side panel always off?

I'm betting a cellphone will cause cancer first and i need to quit being so paranoid, right?

harmful to people, i doubt it.

in an electronics R&D environment where you're working at RF frequencies, i wouldn't use a computer in an acrylic case.

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire

I doubt that the cell phone would send out a signal to the towers during its down time. It would be a drain on the phone's battery especially since the transmitters can send out the pings and what not to the phones.

If the cell phones do not send a signal while they are closed and in your pocket or purse, the network will never know where a cell phone physically is. So, when the network needs to locate the cell phone, because a call is being made to it, and let's say it is on a nationwide plan, in order to have the appropriate tower initiate a connection to it, how do you think the network accomplishes that? Do you think that all the towers in the country all of a sudden send a signal out for this single call?

Do you know how many calls are made to cell phones per minute in the country?

Do you see how impractical this could be?

A cell phone does not need to transmit continuously. It only needs to periodically wake up and transmit a short signal and go back to sleep. This allows the network to keep track of the physical location of every cell phone that is on without rapidly draining the battery of the cell phone. Then, if a call is placed to a cell phone, only a few towers that the cell phone is close to need to attempt to contact it not all the towers in the country!

 

[Cogman]

Originally posted by: Gannon

While a lot of time is spent on ensuring no ill health effects, you can never be too sure with imperfect knowledge and moving targets with technology and biology. Look at how many chemicals or foods that were 'thought safe' now have 'health risks', because we understand more about biology know then say 50 years or more ago.

Most things that are harmful to human beings are also helpful in the correct ratio's. i.e. too little oxygen in your blood is not good for you, while too much, is also not good for you, this is regulated by many systems in your body. Same with blood sugar, etc, etc. I'm sure we'll find more fine tuned similar things with various forces of physics, they just have smaller effects.

The thing is with science, if you can't measure it or don't know what you're looking for, you're not going to know about it. You need a way to bring it into your awareness. I wouldn't rule anything out, when it comes to wireless stuff... since knowledge is a moving target as our knowledge and tools to measure advance we might find small cumulative effects over longer periods of time.

Em, The thing is, wireless stuff more or less has been around for the last 100 years. The Radio signal from a tower is not much different from the wireless connection that your computer uses. Really, if they where going to discover something new they would have done it a while ago.

Now, I would not be surprised if tomorrow on CNN there is an article that claims cell phones or wireless internet connections increase your chance of getting cancer. Thats because they already know that it does, because it is radiation. Pure and simple. The increase in radiation is so small though that we really don't need to worry about it.

You are much more likely to get skin cancer from the sun then to get some other cancer from a cell phone or laptop. Thats because the sun puts out a LOT more radiation then your cell phone ever could. Yet how many people that tan get Cancer. A good number but not a overwhelming amount that is making the government think about making sunlight illegal.

 

[bobdole369]

The amount of EM/RF radiation emitted by a computer is related to the quality of the parts inside. Case in point - my wifes former computer used a Asrock mainboard with a socket 462 P4 2.0ghz.

When her cpu was on I would get hash and birdies up and down the dial on HF via my ham radio. Mostly on 20meters, but would have desensing on all the bands. My radio is across the room from her workstation. My own computer (using a Abit kg7-raid amd 1.667ghz) made virtually no noise.

She has a laptop that is silent now, so thats a nice plus

I don't think the amount of radiation is comparable to say a cell phone though. Those are 3 solid watts sometimes held right near your head in the microwave range....

I've never heard of RF/EMI actually proven to be the cause of anything besides a nasty RF burn.