5 Health Reasons Why You Should Stop Placing a Laptop on Your Laps.
The use of laptops is on the rise among students, teachers, entrepreneurs, remote and office workers. Of course, they are great tools for education, learning, work, and personal multimedia. These benefits have caused many people to spend prolonged time on their laptops.
Most people prefer to place their laptops on the laps while using them. While it might seem comfortable, it is not a healthy practice.
Here is why:
Laptops, like other electronic devices, emit radio waves and EMRs (Electromagnetic Radiation) at various frequencies, which can be harmful to the body. They produced EMRs via device operation and Wi-Fi communication.
When a laptop that emits these EMRs at high frequencies is placed on bare skin, like the lap or tummy, these delicate organs receive an unhealthy dose of them.
Prolonged exposure to these EMRs leads to different health complications such as:
1. Postural defects/deviations.
Placing a laptop low on your lap will force you to hunch over the laptop, disrupting your natural posture. This can cause back pain, as well as strain on the shoulders and neck. It can also affect your standing and sitting posture.
2. Damage to the reproductive organs.
There is a theory that men who use laptops on their laps are at a greater risk of testicular cancer because of the heat near the scrotum, which could damage cells.
Also, a group of researchers in Argentina found that holding a laptop on the legs near the testis damages the DNA of sperm cells.
Another study carried out by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in 2012 also proved that holding a laptop on your lap (for over 4 hours) can affect fertility by causing decreased sperm motility (a key indicator of sperm health) and a notable increase in the DNA fragmentation of sperm.
3. Harm the fetus.
Women are not at risk as men in terms of fertility, but it has also been confirmed that laptop radiation can be harmful to pregnant women as it affects the baby in the uterus too.
4. Toasted Skin Syndrome (skin burn).
A medical study has found that placing devices like laptops next to the skin for a long time can lead to mottled or discolored patchy skin and rash.
Doctors clinically refer to this skin condition as Erythema Ab Igne. It is also known as ‘laptop thigh’ and ‘hot water bottle rash’. The Swiss doctors call it ‘laptop-induced dermatosis’.
Some more serious cases of toasted skin syndrome may be a symptom of cancer, especially if they don’t disappear even after non-exposure to the heat source.
5. It can lead to certain types of cancer.
Swiss researchers, Drs. Andreas Arnold and Peter Itin from University Hospital Basel found that a hot laptop could lead to skin damage on your lap, and that might even develop into skin cancer.
The claim was supported by dermatologist Anthony J. Mancini, who said that prolonged skin inflammation can potentially increase the chances of squamous cell skin cancer, which is more aggressive than the more common form of skin cancer.
Aside from all these, radiation exposure can also cause several smaller but constant health issues, such as fatigue, persistent headaches, dizziness, as well as chronic colds, and flu.
WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS?
Need a simple solution?
- Place the laptop on a table, in a case that holds it upright. This is to create a safe distance between you and the device as much as possible.
It is also ideal to place laptops and computers at eye level so that you can keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed while using them. This ensures good sitting posture.
- A laptop radiation shield/pad is another great solution.
These are designed not only to provide a layer of protection between the laptop and your lap but also to deflect radiation.
