# Are wireless laptop radio waves (?) the same harmful waves that cellphones emit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wireless-laptop-radio-waves-the-same-harmful-waves-that-cellphones-emit/201471 "2003-09-14T00:09:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wireless-laptop-radio-waves-the-same-harmful-waves-that-cellphones-emit/201471/1 "2003-09-14T00:09:20Z")
I recently got a laptop and it has a wireless internet connection on it. I also have a cellphone but I try to avoid using it for anything other than short calls (no conversations) because of the whole possibility of radiation or whatever causing brain cancer. But do laptops do the same thing? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wireless-laptop-radio-waves-the-same-harmful-waves-that-cellphones-emit/201471/2 "2003-09-14T00:22:33Z")
Yes. But then, no studies have yet linked cell phone radiation to brain cancer. 2.4 and 5.8 GHz cordless phones use even higher frequencies (in fact the 2.4 GHz phones are almost exactly the same frequency used in microwave ovens). If anything those should be more dangerous, but oddly no one is worried about them. ---
**Author:** ![FyreFiend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@FyreFiend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FyreFiend)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wireless-laptop-radio-waves-the-same-harmful-waves-that-cellphones-emit/201471/3 "2003-09-14T00:24:26Z")
Well, there’s no proof that you’ll get cancer from cell phones but I’ll skip that. While most wireless cards are rather high freq (2.4ghz, iirc) they don’t put out that much power and even if there was a real cancer risk from them having them up to your head a laptop is usually not that close to you. ---
**Author:** ![Phage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a4c791/32.png) [@Phage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phage)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wireless-laptop-radio-waves-the-same-harmful-waves-that-cellphones-emit/201471/4 "2003-09-14T03:31:49Z")
Actually, a laptop is usually on your lap. That way, it is not irradiating your brain but your sexual organs. I wouldn’t worry about your laptop or your cell phone killing you; may studies have been directed at them with no horrible findings. ---
**Author:** ![FyreFiend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/919ad9/32.png) [@FyreFiend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FyreFiend)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wireless-laptop-radio-waves-the-same-harmful-waves-that-cellphones-emit/201471/5 "2003-09-14T03:35:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phage \* > \*\*Actually, a laptop is usually on your lap. That way, it is not irradiating your brain but your sexual organs. > > \ > \*\* Some laptops run hot enough that you don’t have to worry about irradiating but cooking is another matter. ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-wireless-laptop-radio-waves-the-same-harmful-waves-that-cellphones-emit/201471/6 "2003-09-14T05:53:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FyreFiend \* > \*\*Some laptops run hot enough that you don’t have to worry about irradiating but cooking is another matter. \*\* That’s for sure. The lower-left portion of my laptop’s underside gets so toasty. Even worse is my adapter. I have the same computer as my friend (the laptop was included in our uni program) and my adapter gets about twice as hot as hers while in use. It’s so hot that I can’t firmly hold it for more than 5 seconds sometimes. As for cellphones possibly being safe, I read that people just don’t know yet whether or not it is because cellphones haven’t been long enough for there to be enough people to conduct studies on.