Study: Your Wifi Earbuds Pose a Thyroid Cancer Risk
This may be a good time to question your use of bluetooth headsets. A recent peer-reviewed study shows radiation from such devices can cause health-threatening thyroid cell damage and cancer.
A recent study published in Scientific Reports (2024) looked at whether using Bluetooth earbuds or headsets might be linked to thyroid nodules. The study found that people who used Bluetooth devices for longer periods each day had a higher chance of having thyroid nodules, especially those using in-ear earbuds, which sit closest to the thyroid.
What Are Thyroid Nodules?
Thyroid nodules are lumps or growths that form within the thyroid gland (the butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that produces hormones regulating metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, etc.).
- Most thyroid nodules are benign (non-cancerous).
- They are extremely common:
- Up to 50–60% of adults have at least one nodule if you look hard enough with ultrasound.
- Only about 4–8% of nodules felt by a doctor on physical exam are present; the rest are found incidentally on imaging.
Types of thyroid nodules:
- Solid or cystic (fluid-filled)
- Single or multiple (multinodular goiter)
- Functioning (“hot” – produce thyroid hormone) or non-functioning (“cold”)
- Benign causes: colloid nodules, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, simple cysts, multinodular goiter, etc.
- Malignant (cancerous) causes: thyroid cancer (papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, etc.)
Can They Become Malignant?
Yes, thyroid nodules can be malignant from the beginning, but a benign nodule very rarely “turns into” cancer later.
Key facts about cancer risk:
- Overall risk that any given nodule is cancerous: ~5–15% (higher in certain risk groups).
- Most thyroid cancers arise de novo (as a new cancerous nodule) rather than a pre-existing benign nodule transforming.
- True malignant transformation of a long-standing benign nodule is exceedingly rare.
Who Is at Higher Risk of a Nodule Being Cancerous?
Higher suspicion if:
- Age <30 or >60
- Male gender
- Rapid growth of the nodule
- History of head/neck radiation (especially childhood)
- Family history of thyroid cancer or certain syndromes (MEN2, Cowden, etc.)
- Hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, or lymph nodes in the neck
- Nodule is hard, fixed, or >4 cm
- “Cold” nodule on nuclear medicine scan
- Certain ultrasound features (microcalcifications, irregular margins, taller-than-wide shape, increased blood flow)
Even though Bluetooth devices emit non-ionizing radiofrequency (RF) radiation, which is much lower energy than ionizing radiation (like X-rays) and doesn’t break DNA bonds directly, the thyroid is anatomically close to typical headset placement (near-ear, neck region) and is a gland known to be sensitive to electromagnetic exposures.
A literature review on mobile phone RF exposure and thyroid health found altered hormone levels and histopathologic changes in animal models exposed to RF fields. (PMID: 34567874)
This was an observational study, it showed patterns of correlation but does not prove all Bluetooth use causes thyroid problems.
But the facts remain that:
What we know from research so far
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Bluetooth and mobile devices give off non-ionizing radiation, which is much weaker than X-rays and cannot directly damage DNA.
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However, some animal and laboratory studies suggest that long-term exposure to this type of energy may affect thyroid cells, possibly by increasing cell stress, inflammation, or hormone changes.
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Human studies have shown mixed results, so scientists are still working to understand whether everyday device use has meaningful effects on thyroid health.
Practical, low-effort precautions
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Use speakerphone or wired headphones for longer calls.
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Limit long hours with in-ear earbuds, since they rest close to the thyroid.
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Avoid keeping your phone directly against your body (for example, in a bra strap or shirt pocket at the neck).
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Keep devices a bit farther away during sleep or when not in use (distance reduces exposure quickly).
These steps are optional, low-cost, and may give peace of mind while scientists continue to study this area. Perhaps we may eventually see health warnings on these devices – perhaps akin to tentatively encouraging a smoker to cut back from 20 a day to five.
As a seasoned science writer reporting over many years this concerned me as I have witnessed an alarming rise in electro-smog in our daily lives (from wifi exposure, 5G and the constant eye irritation from car LED headlights) and their unquantified and cumulative health impacts.
Personally, I am quitting using my ear buds for now until more research is done and we can better determine whether the relationship is real or just a coincidence.
Hopefully, this study will act as another wake up call to demand more testing. But with the profit motive often put above health, we have good reason to be wary of these new threat vectors in a congested modern urban environment already polluted with so many invisible, unregulated and potentially cancerous radiative impacts.
Read the study at pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11192738/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
About the author: John O’Sullivan is CEO and co-founder (with Dr Tim Ball) of Principia Scientific International (PSI). He is a seasoned science writer, retired teacher and legal analyst who assisted skeptic climatologist Dr Ball in defeating UN climate expert, Michael ‘hockey stick’ Mann in the multi-million-dollar ‘science trial of the century‘. From 2010 O’Sullivan led the original ‘Slayers’ group of scientists who complied the book ‘Slaying the Sky Dragon: Death of the Greenhouse Gas Theory’ debunking alarmist lies about carbon dioxide plus their follow-up climate book. His most recent publication, ‘Slaying the Virus and Vaccine Dragon’ broadens PSI’s critiques of mainstream medical group think and junk science.
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