EU’s deal on “single mobile charging ports” is expected to be finalized by the end of 2022. If you don’t know what this deal is about, I recommend you give season 2 episode 1 of “The Healthier Tech Podcast,” a listen, where our guest Alex Aguis Saliba, an EU parliament member, talks about “EU single charger laws” and with many other topics like “right to disconnect” in depth.
This deal, if finalized, forces all tech companies, including Apple, to adopt USB-C ports in their devices, across the European Union.
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Apple’s Portless iPhones Rumors
Rumors are that Apple may start producing portless iPhones very soon.
But why would they focus on making such an expensive change instead of simply putting USB-C ports in their phones and getting rid of lightning ports?
There’s a simple reason behind this. See, Apple holds the patent for the lightning connector. And it’s one of the primary sources of revenue for the company. They sell chargers and other accessories with lightning jacks, and also collect royalties from companies who want to use the lightning-type connection on their products. If they were to adopt something like USB-C that’s available everywhere, the company will suffer a huge loss.
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So, the next best idea is to make their phones portless, which can still earn them money, because of the mag safe charger they’ll include for wireless charging, which will naturally bump up the price of their product.
EMF experts say that portless devices aren’t great for public health and wellbeing. But it seems like we may be entering the portless era soon anyways.
So, before it happens, you need to know what risks are associated with portless iPhones and how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from their effects. And that’s what we’re going to talk about in this post. We’ll look at portless iPhones, their health effects, and things you can do to mitigate your risk to those health effects. So, let’s begin.
What’s a Portless iPhone
As the name suggests, a portless iPhone is an iPhone without any ports. Like the audio jack for headsets or the lightning port for charging. Why does this matter?
We all know iPhones got rid of the headphone jacks a while back. But they still have lightning ports– which you can use to charge your phone or plug in a headset.
But, if iPhones become portless, everything you do with your phone will have to be done wirelessly. And that’s a huge problem. Why?
Amplified EMF Exposure with Portless Phones
Since they were created, cell phones have been a major source of EMF radiation, as EMF is fundamental to their design. Without EMF, you can’t make calls, send texts, or browse the internet from your phone or any device for that matter.
Over time, the number of sources of EMF inside your phone increased. First, it was just cell calls.
Then cell data, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC (near field communication, used for things like Apple Pay)—one by one, the EMF sources within your phone started piling up.
Today, the phone is actually a source of multiple separate, simultaneous types of EMF. (And I talked about this before, when the iPhone 8 introduced wireless charging.) And sure, they rolled out Bluetooth headsets– but we didn’t have to use them. We could still use wired headsets if we were concerned about our EMF exposure.
And then they rolled out wireless charging. But again, we didn’t have to use wireless chargers if we were concerned about EMF radiation. Continuing to use wired headphones and wired charging are choices that you and I have. But, not for long, it seems!
If and when Apple gets rid of ports, you will no longer be able to use wired headsets. You will no longer be able to use a charging cable. You’ll have to use wireless options for everything.
In other words, technology is trending to the point where using every single function of our phones will require that we be exposed to EMF radiation!
But why is EMF Bad?
If you’re not familiar with what EMF is and how it works, you can read my post in which I’ve explained: “EMF in Simple Words.”
EMF or electromagnetic fields is energy that our wireless devices use to communicate with each other, connect calls and messages, and let you use the internet.
As I already mentioned, cell phones are one of the biggest sources of our daily exposure to EMF. And if they go completely portless, it can be a huge problem because EMF is known to biologically affect humans. And adding more wireless stuff to our already EMF-polluted environment would certainly be like adding fuel to the fire.
Here are some of the effects of EMF exposure, according to research studies.
It’s a Class 2B Carcinogen
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies EMF as a class 2B carcinogen. This means the WHO considers EMF “possibly carcinogenic.”
But, what does this mean? Does anyone who uses a wireless device get cancer? Well, there’s no easy answer to this. Chronic diseases like cancer take a long time to develop, and it’s just not suitable for laboratory experiments.
However, we know so far through research that prolonged exposure to EMF can cause problems like oxidative stress, DNA damage, and several types of tumors to develop. And experts predict that these EMF’s effects can gradually turn into cancer.
I have written a separate in-depth post on links between cell phones and cancer. So, do check it out.
Reproductive Issues
A 2007 research study by the Cleveland Clinic shows that prolonged EMF exposure decreases the semen count and lowers its quality in men.
For this study, the researchers gathered 361 men, divided into four categories. Here’s how the categories were set.
- Men who didn’t use cell phones at all
- Those who used cell phones but not for more than two hours a day
- Those who used cell phones 2-4 hours every day
- And those whose cell phone use exceeded more than 4 hours every day
This study showed significant differences in fertility, and sperm quality, among these men.
Dr. Agarwal, the lead researcher in this study, concluded that “the decrease in sperm parameters was dependent on the duration of daily exposure to cell phones and independent of the initial semen quality.”
In simple words, the more his subjects used a cell phone, the less healthy their sperm was.
But EMF-induced reproductive issues don’t just limit to men. There are several research studies associating prolonged EMF exposure to higher levels of stress that link to an increased risk of infertility in women.
Besides infertility, EMF is also known to cause problems like erectile dysfunction (ED) in men. I have written a separate post on how EMF causes ED and how you can protect yourself from it. So, give it a read.
Immunity Problems
The immune system is your natural protection against several illness-causing viruses and bacteria. It’s because of your immune system that you’re able to recover if you get sick.
Besides that, the immune system is also responsible for regulating our bodies’ healing mechanisms. This means, if you get cuts, bruises, and wounds, it’s the immune system’s job to communicate with the brain and facilitate healing.
But that’s not it. As we go through the day doing several activities, we suffer several tears in our muscles and tissues. When we sleep, the immune system gets to work on healing those muscles and tissues.
Studies say that prolonged EMF exposure causes this system to not function properly, resulting in problems like immunosuppression, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and electromagnetic hypersensitivity, also known as WiFi allergies.
Inadequate Hormone Production
Your endocrine system is responsible for producing the necessary hormones in your body. And the hormones that your endocrine system releases go on to facilitate these functions:
- Respiration
- Metabolism
- Reproduction
- Sensory perception
- Movement
- Sexual development
- And growth
There are many things that can disrupt this process. For example:
- Lead, Phthalates, and Cadmium that’s found in children’s products
- Triclosan, found in antibacterial soaps and toothpaste
- And Phthalates and Parabeans found in personal care products and sunscreens
All of these chemicals are known to disrupt your endocrine system, so they’re known as endocrine disruptors or ED.
But seeing that EMF is not a chemical or even a physical object, how does it affect your endocrine system?
The truth is, EMF doesn’t affect the endocrine system in the same way these chemicals do.
See, humans are electrical beings. Our brain communicates with the different parts of our bodies through billions of neurons using electrical signals. And EMF interferes with this communication.
Since EMF is a product of electricity, it’s nearly identical to the electrical signals that our brain uses to send the necessary commands. When you expose yourself to EMF, the commands from your brain can’t reach the endocrine glands, resulting in inadequate hormone production. This results in problems like:
- Rapid weight changes
- Sleep disorders
- Skin issues
- Irritability and anxiety
- Depression
- Migraines
- Bloating
- Thinning hair
- Infertility
- Reduced libido and ED
Impairs Brain Health
Experts say that prolonged exposure to EMF causes a range of brain-related problems. As I already mentioned in the previous section, EMF interferes with the brain’s ability to send commands and receive signals. This causes it to over or under-react to situations, resulting in problems like:
- Nerve cell damage
- Albumin leakage through the blood-brain-barrier
- Damage in myelin sheath
- Neurophysiological changes
- And impaired learning and memory
I’ve written a separate post that discusses EMF’s effect on brain health in-depth. So, give it a read.
So, you see, EMF is already causing a ton of problems. And if portless iPhones become a norm, these problems will just amplify in nature. And mind you that portless iPhones are not a far-fetched dream. Sooner or later, they’ll be in your hand, exposing you to significantly more EMF than what you face at the moment.
So, what can you do?
Taking Back Control from Portless iPhones
As I read the rumors about portless iPhones, I realized I shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, this is where technology has been heading.
But at the same time, it still shocked and upset me because tech companies are chipping away at our ability to use gadgets with less EMF exposure.
It’s like removing all the seatbelts from cars. Or manufacturing cigarettes that can’t be used with filters. Not only are the cell companies not doing anything to mitigate our EMF exposure– they’re actually making it harder for us to protect ourselves!
And I find that infuriating.
But then I remembered SYB Healthy Living Tip #75, and I thought this was an excellent opportunity to share it with all of you.
See, while the move towards portless phones may be inevitable, you still have control over your phone’s EMF emissions.
Disable Wireless Connectivity You Don’t Need
Yes, we all know that we can enable airplane mode to disable almost all EMF emissions from your phones. But did you know you can enable and disable specific, individual wireless settings?
For instance, say you need to make or receive a call, but that’s it. So, you can leave your cell on but disable Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular. That’s a massive reduction in your EMF while still allowing you to use your phone.
Same thing if all you need is WiFi. You can turn off your cell connection, cell data, and Bluetooth, and still use all of your phone’s functions (especially if you are using WiFi calling, which is Healthy Living Tip #86).
So, remember, even if you (like almost all of us) need to use a cell phone, you have tremendous power over your phone’s EMF emissions.
Vote With Your Wallets
Disabling wireless connections you don’t need is just part of it. There’s something else you can do, and that’s to vote with your wallets.
A while back, I ‘upgraded’ from an iPhone to an Android. This was the first time in twelve years that I decided not to go with the new Apple iPhone.
Why?
In part, because I could get an Android phone that works with a normal, standard 3.5mm audio jack – so I can easily use my SYB Air Tubes or my Sony headphones with the SYB H.A.R.D. Anti-radiation adapter when I listen to music.
I oppose the cell phone companies dropping the headphone jack. So, I voted with my wallet and switched to Android.
And you can do the same thing. You can choose to upgrade to a phone that gives you more control over your EMF exposure.
So, remember: while we’re surrounded by an increasing amount of EMF from an increasing number of sources, what you do with the devices closest to your bodies matters the most.
And you still have control over that.
Final Thoughts
I may have probably said a ton of times in my posts, webinars, and podcasts that ‘the best EMF protection’ is always free. And all you have to do is, build a healthier relationship with technology.
And that’s what “The Healthier Tech Podcast” from SYB is all about. We have experts from several industries sharing extremely valuable tips on making technology safer, healthier for you and your loved ones.
We’re available on all major platforms, and you can start streaming today for free.
