# Health risks:  Are laptops misnamed?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-risks-are-laptops-misnamed/143305>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 17, 2002, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-risks-are-laptops-misnamed/143305 "2002-12-17T11:07:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-risks-are-laptops-misnamed/143305/1 "2002-12-17T11:07:31Z")

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Are there any health risks associated with parking a laptop on one’s lap for extended periods of time? Am I flooding my family jewels with low-level radiation? Is there any research on this?

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**Author:** ![SC\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-risks-are-laptops-misnamed/143305/2 "2002-12-17T11:15:45Z")

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There is a risk of [burns](http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,5537963%255E13762,00.html).

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**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-risks-are-laptops-misnamed/143305/3 "2002-12-17T12:03:43Z")

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There should be no risk from radiation. Emission level is far lower than a cell phone, and frequency is similar. As far as I know, there’s still no definitive evidence that cell phones cause harm. Just wach out for burns, as SC\_Wolf said.

Just to reiterate the basics: radiation can be categorized into two kinds, ionizing and non-ionizing. Ionizing radiation includes X-rays, gamma rays and alpha particles. These behave more like particles than waves, and each particle has enough energy to knock off an atom or electron from a molecule. This means it can directly damage large molecules such as your DNA, resulting in cancer. On the other hand, non-ionizing radiation like radio waves have insufficient energy to alter molecules. When it hits your body the energy is absorbed over a wide area and the only effect is to heat you up. That’s how microwave ovens work.

Of course there is a possibility that non-ionizing radiation can cause other harm. Radio waves can induce electrical current, which might disrupt certain chemical reactions inside your body. But as far as I know, there is no definitive proof of such effects.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-risks-are-laptops-misnamed/143305/4 "2002-12-17T12:08:39Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Am I flooding my family jewels with low-level radiation?

Yes you are. For just $99.95 I will sell you a piece of alumium foil… wait I mean a metallic sheild that you place on the underside of the laptop that will stop jewel fring radiation produced by a laptop.

Actually I think there has to be something going on - we weren’t made to handle electronics and there are whole branches of alternative medicines that have to do with the ‘electric field’ around the person. I t\don’t know if it’s as bad as the alternitive Dr’s say but don’t think it’s as harmless as the conventional Dr’s.

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**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-risks-are-laptops-misnamed/143305/5 "2002-12-17T13:05:19Z")

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Thats why they are all called notebooks now.

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**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\
**Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-risks-are-laptops-misnamed/143305/6 "2002-12-17T13:26:14Z")

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> [@](#):
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> \*Originally posted by Shalmanese \*  
> \*\*Thats why they are all called notebooks now. \*\*

probably too much connotation with dancers  
🙂