There has been much controversy over the last few years about whether or not it's harmful to use laptops on your lap for long periods of time. You may have been told by your peers, or even experts, that using your MacBook on your lap for long periods of time can render you infertile or even cause genital cancer. There is some element of truth to this, however it's not all in black & white, so read on to find out in what situations it's safe to use your MacBook on your lap and what situations it is not.
Many people believe that MacBooks, and laptops in general, emit radiation, in much the same way cellphones do. Cellphone are thought by experts to emit harmful radiation that can cause cancer, especially when the phone is held up to the caller's head, near their brain. However the reason why cellphones are thought to emit radiation is because of the powerful signal emitted by it's connection to the cellular network. MacBooks do not have a cellular connection at all - Only a WiFi connection that is very short range, and therefore very weak in comparison. This means that the wireless radiation emitted by your MacBook is not a problem.
Another type of radiation that people think MacBooks produce is screen radiation. And while this used to be true, it is practically irrelevant today. Why? Because screen radiation is only present in CRT monitors. For those of you who don't know, CRT monitors are those 'old school', bulky, heavy 'tube' monitors that for the computer industry have died almost completely in the past ten years or so. They were replaced some time ago by LCD screens, which are the flat, paper-thin screens that we see on MacBooks and pretty much all other computers today. LCD screens emit such a small amount of radiation that it's totally irrelevant - You should probably be more worried about your TV, microwave or the power lines outside your house.
The only type of radiation that can pose a significant threat to your health is heat radiation. Heat radiation in the case of your MacBook is essentially just regular heat, similar to the kind made by any electrical appliance. What makes the heat generated by your MacBook potentially dangerous is what part of the body it is exposed to: The genital region. If a person's genital region is consistently exposed to heat for long periods of time, then genital cancer and infertility (in men) becomes a risk. And less serious, but still unpleasant, is the risk of other health issues, such as thrush and other fungal infections that can affect both men and women. So how do you protect yourself from this? Read on to find out.
When you're preforming 'idle' tasks on your MacBook, such as browsing the web or word processing, the computer does generally not get hot enough to prove harmful to your health - Except if the ambient temperature is hot, in which case you should try to use your MacBook in a cooler place or use air-conditioning. It is mainly a problem when you're performing intensive tasks on your MacBook, such as playing games, watching flash videos or video editing. When you're doing those kind of intensive tasks your MacBook heats up significantly, exposing your body to more heat, and therefore increasing the dangers of fungal infections, infertility & genital cancer. So what can you do to protect yourself?
The best way to protect yourself from the heat of your MacBook is to place something in-between the computer and your lap. A cushion or pillow will work fine to protect you, however they will also act as insulation for your Mac, blocking the computer's vents and causing it to overheat, which may damage components inside the machine. Therefore a hard object like a book would be better suited, as it will separate your MacBook from your lap, while still promoting good airflow around the laptop's vents. And even better option would be to use a laptop cooling pad, as they are specially designed to keep both you and your laptop cool. For more information about laptop cooling pads, feel free to visit this article.
Thank you for reading - Have a nice day!
0 comments:
Post a Comment