With all the new gadgets coming out that are designed to make our lives easier and more convenient, the concern of radiation exposure has also increased. Kindles are great tools that make reading and carrying many books with you at once a lot easier. But do they emit radiation? The short answer is yes. However, the amount of radiation the device emits will depend on which version of the Kindle that you have. Let’s take a closer look.
Which Kindle Devices Emit Radiation?
By now I’m sure you’re already familiar with the dangers that cell phone radiation can pose to our health. But what about other smart devices like Kindles? In short, yes they do emit radiation. But the exact Kindle device you’re using will determine just how much radiation is being put out and whether or not you should be concerned.
There are different types of Kindles available. You have the basic Kindle e-readers, the Kindle Fires, and the Kindle Paperwhite series. While none of these devices will emit radiation at the level that your cell phone or a smart meter would, some still emit enough radiation that you would want to be aware of and take necessary precautions, just in case.
Of all the Kindles mentioned above, the one that emits the most radiation is the Kindle Fire. While you can still read books on it, as advertised, this one is more along the lines of a tablet than anything else. You can read books, watch movies and videos, play games and much more. Because of these extra features, it uses a lot more power, thus requiring a more powerful battery.
The Kindle Fire puts out much more radiation than the other Kindles that are more geared towards being solely used as e-readers. The Kindle Paperwhite and other Kindle e-readers do emit radiation but at a much smaller amount. This is because they are able to connect to wifi to access the Kindle Store and download books directly to the device itself. You can also do other simple tasks like make posts to social media or access your Goodreads account.
For the most part, these tasks will require very little wifi usage and a very small amount of power from the device. Therefore the batteries inside them are smaller and less powerful than the ones used inside of the Kindle Fires. The amount of radiation the dedicated e-readers and Paperwhites use is a lot less than what your cell phone is able to put out, so if you’re using one of these, you have very little to worry about and using the device for any about of time should not cause any harm. However, if you own a Kindle Fire and use it for extended periods of time to read ebooks, you may want to consider taking a few precautions.
What are the Symptoms of Radiation Exposure?
There are a few things that you’ll want to be on the lookout for if you suspect you may have a sensitivity to emf radiation. It can have a powerful effect on your body’s nervous system and cause symptoms ranging from pain to insomnia. There have now been numerous studies done on the effects of emf radiation on the human body. It was found that emf radiation had very real chemical effects on the nervous system among other critical systems.
Biological Effects
The biological effects caused by emf radiation can be classified into two groups—thermal and non-thermal. Thermal effects are more associated with the heating of tissues within the body caused by the radiation itself. This heating occurs due to the alternating temperatures within radio frequencies. When radio frequencies come in contact and interact with living tissues within the body an energy transfer occurs. It is this energy transfer that results in thermal heating or a rise in temperature.
Your skin and other tissues absorb this form of radiation and cause a significant increase in the temperature of the brain and other vital organs within the body. Non-thermal effects work a little bit differently. They are not associated with a direct temperature change but are responsible for other changes in the body’s tissues relating to the amount of energy that is absorbed.
Vision Effects
It’s pretty well known now that staring at any screen for too long can damage your eyesight. This is normally said because of the blue light that is emitted from the screen, which can definitely cause damage to your vision. However, the extent of concern goes beyond that. Vision changes can also occur due to continuous exposure to emf radiation. Your eyes are very sensitive organs that are put at risk when using electronic devices like Kindles and other similar devices. This is because they are essentially unprotected and can absorb much of the emf radiation directly. The thermal heating that these devices cause can lead to tissue damage within the eye itself, creating vision changes or loss.
In order to protect yourself from the vision damage that may occur, you will need to limit the amount of time that you spend on your devices. Staring at the screen can create stress on the eyes that can lead to irreversible damage if not reduced over time. It is important to take breaks and give your eyes a rest if you plan on using your Kindle to read for an extended period of time.
Thyroid Function
Another unsuspecting organ that is affected by exposure to emf radiation is the thyroid gland. This is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of your neck. It is responsible for the production of hormones that help regulate your growth and development hormones, among many other critical bodily functions. Like cell phones, when using your Kindle you expose your thyroid gland to emf radiation being emitted from the device. This is because the neck is usually unprotected and exposed.
A study in 2004 showed that changes to the thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH, were noted in those who spent 33 hours or more a month using their cell phones. Just a year later it was found that being exposed to emf radiation for only 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for a period of 4 weeks suppressed TSH, T4, and T3 levels (all thyroid hormones).
Suppression of these hormones and changes within the thyroid gland itself can lead to various problems in the body since the thyroid is critical to so many important functions. Some symptoms of the suppressed thyroid functions include muscle cramps, muscle weakness, fatigue, and changes in heart rate.
Other Notable Symptoms
EMF radiation was found to cause the deterioration of large molecule cells and to disturb the ionic equilibrium and create imbalances within the body. Exposure to emf radiation can also lead to oxidated stress, which occurs when the body’s antioxidant defense system is unable to handle the harmful effects of free radicals. This oxidative stress expresses itself within many tissues of the body.
Over time, exposure to emf radiation can causes chronic inflammation within the body, leading to various inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, and autoimmune disorders. Some other key symptoms you may want to be on the lookout for include:
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Memory changes
- Loss of appetite or weight loss
- Insomnia or other sleep disturbances
- Depression
- Unexplained pain or itchiness of the skin
- Difficulty concentrating
Any of these symptoms can be a result of exposure to emf. However, since they overlap with symptoms of many other illnesses it is difficult to diagnose the problem as being emf-related. EMF radiation sensitivity or EHS is still relatively new and getting a diagnosis from your doctor is unlikely.
This is simply because there is not yet enough mainstream information and resources available on the effects of emf radiation on human health. Continued research within the coming years should allow for better diagnosis and treatment options for those that are sensitive to these effects.
How to Reduce Radiation Exposure When Using a Kindle Device
There are a couple of things you can do if you want to reduce or limit your exposure to radiation while using your Kindle device. The most effective thing you can do when it comes to using any device that emits radiation is to limit your use of it. Try not to spend prolonged periods of time using the device—especially without taking any breaks.
Continuous, uninterrupted use is what allows for the most damage to be done. When you don’t give your body a chance to recover from the exposure, your tissues and cells remain heated and inflamed. You may not necessarily feel this heat or any sensation for that matter, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t occurring. This process happens at a cellular level and may not be felt at all.
When the body’s tissues don’t have a chance to cool down from the thermal heating that is caused by emf, they will remain in that inflamed state and the damage accumulates. This is why it is best to take frequent breaks if you plan on using your Kindle device for a long period of time doing tasks like reading or watching videos.
The next best thing you can do is turn your wifi off. For those that didn’t know, yes it is possible to turn off the wifi on your device. There may be a few different ways of going about this depending on which version of the Kindle you have, but generally, you would want to swipe down from the top of the screen (if using a touch screen Kindle) and select “Wireless”, then tap on “Wi-Fi”. Once selected, an option to turn the wifi off should appear. Select “Turn Off” and your device should automatically disconnect from the wifi.
This will allow you to use your device simply for reading if you’ve already downloaded the book you wish to read. As long as you don’t need to do any tasks online, you should be able to continue reading your book just fine for as long as you want, without the worry of accumulated oxidative stress (which no one wants).
Another way you can reduce your exposure is to always keep the device a good distance away from your body. It’s understandably more difficult to do with a device that’s meant to be read on, but try to keep the Kindle at a good distance away from your head or neck if you can. If you wear prescription glasses or reading glasses to help you see better, be sure to wear them while using your Kindle so that you do not have to hold the device too close to your face in order to see.
Finally, you can use emf gloves. If you find that you are especially sensitive to emf radiation and experience pain or tingling in your hands while using electronic devices, you might want to look into getting a good pair of emf shielding gloves. We’ve gone over them more in-depth in a recent article here if you’d like to know exactly how these gloves work. Simply put, they will drastically reduce the amount of emf radiation you’re exposed to when using any electronic device that emits radiation. This includes your Kindle.
Wearing the shielding gloves while using your Kindle device will protect you from the harmful effects of emf radiation and will allow you to use your device for much longer without pain and discomfort. The gloves work by a process of attenuation which significantly reduces the amount and strength of the signal that is allowed to pass through to your hands. The final amount that’s left to come through the gloves is so small that it will not cause further significant harm or damage to your hands.
Recommended Products and Conclusion
If you are concerned about your exposure to EMF radiation, then you have to check out these products below:
- Best EMF Meter: CLICK HERE
- EMF Protective Blanket for Babies and Adults: CLICK HERE
- EMF Protective Belly Band for Pregnant Women: CLICK HERE
- EMF Protected Cell Phone Pouches: CLICK HERE
- EMF Protected Laptop Case and Sleeve: CLICK HERE
- EMF Protective Clothing: CLICK HERE
In conclusion, the Kindle devices do emit radiation, although the only ones that emit enough radiation to cause concern are the Kindle Fires or those that are touch screen and more tablet-like than simply an e-reader. If you have one of the older Kindle versions that aren’t touch screen, you don’t have to worry about the amount of radiation they’re emitting. It is much less than the touch screen versions.
Most of the older devices can still connect to wifi, however, so if you want to reduce the amount even further, simply follow the steps mentioned above to disable your wifi connection. Following the simple precautionary measures above can help reduce your exposure to emf radiation while still allowing you to enjoy using your Kindle.