# Lights and battery on helmet can cause cancer/brain tumors?



## Gundam168 (Dec 19, 2012)

I made a comment about this on a thread somewhere in this forum but somehow it's something keeping me awake on some nights. I remember before (and I think there is still today) that there was this scare about cellphone use causing brain tunors and cancer because of EMR when you bring it close to your ear but with a battery and light set up on your helmet, you're gonna be exposed to EMR near your brain for several hours for days on end.

Anybody come across research regarding this?


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## 6ix (Sep 12, 2013)

Gundam168 said:


> I made a comment about this on a thread somewhere in this forum but somehow it's something keeping me awake on some nights. I remember before (and I think there is still today) that there was this scare about cellphone use causing brain tunors and cancer because of EMR when you bring it close to your ear but with a battery and light set up on your helmet, you're gonna be exposed to EMR near your brain for several hours for days on end.
> 
> Anybody come across research regarding this?


Since you brought this alarmist thread I would have thought you have a link to such research. Scientist are still at odds over cellular phone and EMR 15 years on. I doubt very much such research was done with bike light and batteries. Take two Xanax before bed.


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## kjlued (Jun 23, 2011)

I don't know about you, but I don't wear a light on my helmet for days on end. 
I would bet even the most avid rider doesn't wear a light on their helmet for days on end. 
Most night rides last only up to a couple hours and most people don't ride at night 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

If it worries you, don't do it, but I am going to guess that even if it could cause a tumor, the limited exposure that even the most avid night rider has to this is not enough to cause any damage.


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## Gundam168 (Dec 19, 2012)

^
Sorry. Wrong choice of words on "for days on end" since I use the lights at night. Let's just say I bike with helmet lights for about 12-15 hours a week.


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## kjlued (Jun 23, 2011)

Rumors have it fluorescent lights cause cancer too. 
How many of those bulbs do you have in your home? 
How about your work?

BTW, breathing the air outside can also cause cancer. 

Choices are to keep doing what you are doing and risk that off chance that maybe lights on a helmet can cause cancer and you are that one in a million person that it would actually happen to. 

Stop wearing the light on your helmet giving up some night time visibility and risk crashing. 

Stop riding at night. 

Wear a tinfoil helmet between your bike helmet and head. 
I am guessing you already have one.


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## wmodavis (Jun 21, 2007)

Gundam168 said:


> I made a comment about this on a thread somewhere in this forum but somehow it's something keeping me awake on some nights. I remember before (and I think there is still today) that there was this scare about cellphone use causing brain tunors and cancer because of EMR when you bring it close to your ear but with a battery and light set up on your helmet, you're gonna be exposed to EMR near your brain for several hours for days on end.
> 
> Anybody come across research regarding this?


There have been many such scares by alarmists but ask anyone of them where is the credible, scientific, verifiable, repeatable evidence and they will come up with none. Definitely being around high intensity electromagnetic radiation has risks but the electric field caused by the relatively low direct current has very minimal risk. You receive higher EMR from the sun, electric wiring in your house etc. Again, Where is the proof that it will cause health problems? There is a lot more health risk from poor eating habits, pesticides, VOCs, driving a car and yes from the 3rd largest cause of death in the US - medicine prescribed by your doctor. You certainly have the choice what you are going to panic over, so pick one.


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## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

wmodavis said:


> You certainly have the choice what you are going to panic over, so pick one.


Most comprehensive reply to similar questions I've ever seen! :thumbsup:


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## Gundam168 (Dec 19, 2012)

wmodavis said:


> There have been many such scares by alarmists but ask anyone of them where is the credible, scientific, verifiable, repeatable evidence and they will come up with none. Definitely being around high intensity electromagnetic radiation has risks but the electric field caused by the relatively low direct current has very minimal risk. You receive higher EMR from the sun, electric wiring in your house etc. Again, Where is the proof that it will cause health problems? There is a lot more health risk from poor eating habits, pesticides, VOCs, driving a car and yes from the 3rd largest cause of death in the US - medicine prescribed by your doctor. You certainly have the choice what you are going to panic over, so pick one.


The thread was not intended to alarm bikers who use these lights. It was more of a "thinking out loud" kind of thread for discussion . The more I am proved wrong by posters the more I am relieved about keeping my helmet light set up.

And thanks for the reply too.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

Gundam168 said:


> I made a comment about this on a thread somewhere in this forum but somehow it's something keeping me awake on some nights. I remember before (and I think there is still today) that there was this scare about cellphone use causing brain tunors and cancer because of EMR when you bring it close to your ear but with a battery and light set up on your helmet, you're gonna be exposed to EMR near your brain for several hours for days on end.
> 
> Anybody come across research regarding this?


Staying awake nights thinking about bike lights causing cancer is more likely to cause cancer than the lights themselves. And even though the evidence is not conclusive about cell phones, they are designed to emit radiation (to the cell towers) and other products are specifically designed not to emit radiation. So I think you should be safe.


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## syl3 (Apr 23, 2008)

If lights on your head caused cancer, these guys would have been long dead by now:


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

National cancer institute says no conclusive connection established (and sparse evidence) between EMF and Cancer. In scientist speak, this means No, with a little CYA (future research may of course contradict those findings, as with all science  )

Magnetic Field Exposure and Cancer - National Cancer Institute


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## canuck_tacoma (May 1, 2011)

DC batteries typically don't emit EM usually you need an AC power source for that. The light itself may have an oscillator to chnge the voltages for different settings, so there may be a little from that. I wouldn't worry about it.

The amount of radiation that you're exposed to from other sources is staggering. Just about everything around you is emiting.


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## find_bruce (May 8, 2011)

canuck_tacoma said:


> DC batteries typically don't emit EM usually you need an AC power source for that. The light itself may have an oscillator to chnge the voltages for different settings, so there may be a little from that. I wouldn't worry about it.
> 
> The amount of radiation that you're exposed to from other sources is staggering. Just about everything around you is emiting.


There are occasionally reports of lights causing interference with wireless bike computers, so some lights emit some EM. As you say the amount is so little that I am not worried about it.

If the OP is losing sleep, I would recommend lining his helmet with tinfoil, or for lighter weight & better venting, a faraday cage.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Jun 7, 2009)

But what about the wireless router that is sending the bits and bytes of my post? That I am exposed to for days on end....


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## androgen (Apr 28, 2005)

i'm sure it's bad for you, but not as bad as breaking your neck, and not as bad as staying at home and getting diabetes.

i mean lets say it is something like 1% chance of brain cancer versus 10% chance of breaking your neck, versus 50% chance of getting diabetes or heart disease.

besides, it's better to have a good life and die young than slowly rot away while taking on the shape of the couch.

you can't avoid all risk and we're all going to die anyway. 

this radiation concern may be a reason to pick one light over the other, for example a metal bodied light with have less radiation than plastic one and linear driven LEDs will have much less radiation than switched ones ( actually linear ones shouldn't have any radiation in theory ).

but it is no reason to stay at home, or ride in the dark.


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

Likely your greatest threat of cancer from radiation ( from any source ) is from our own sun. The Earth's magnetic field does a lot to block most of it but still a good amount of bad radiation gets through. Solar events can exacerbate the problem. This is one of the reasons why a trip to Mars is considered very risky.

Still considering all the things that can kill you; eating a healthy diet, staying out of war zones, not marrying a daughter of an organized crime boss and driving safely will extend your life, capiche?


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## kjlued (Jun 23, 2011)

This reminds me of the time I used to install satellite dishes for Wild Blue (High speed internet) and the customer was having me move the dish out to his workshop away from the house because his wife freaked out about the satellite signals being beamed down towards the house. He knew it was ridiculous but also knew if mamma wasn't happy he wouldn't be either. lol 
I wanted to explain to her that satellite signals are not directed towards the dish and are broadcast in a wide pattern. No matter where the dish, she would be absorbing these so called death rays. lol


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## Troutinco (Jan 29, 2012)

Visible light is a form of radiation right? Any light emitting source, both visible and invisible, is emitting radiation no matter the power source. So the comment about linear led would still be emitting a form of radiation, in visible light, to get very technical. 
I worry more about the sun blowing an earth directed x class flare.....but that's a way out there worry for me.


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## -Archie- (Aug 25, 2013)

kjlued said:


> He knew it was ridiculous but also knew if mamma wasn't happy he wouldn't be either. lol


Amazing example of technically-ignorant people's fears. Another one I can remember - several years ago, I've seen small pieces of metal foil (about size of credit card) sold in our town as a special anti-radiation device to be carried along with cellular phone: the description said it will absorb harmful rays and protect the user from danger caused by cellular towers.

It seems to me, the quality of current school education system is at least questionable...


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## Vancbiker (May 25, 2005)

kjlued said:


> customer was having me move the dish out to his workshop away from the house because his wife freaked out about the satellite signals being beamed down towards the house. He knew it was ridiculous but also knew if mamma wasn't happy he wouldn't be either. lol


That's good! My wife won't use the microwave cause she read somewhere that it changes the molecular structure of food. I tease her when I heat some leftovers in it maybe I'll pull out a block of gold.


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

Its a little known secret that tin foil protects you from the effects of harmful emf. If anyone is worried about the effects of their helmet mounted light I'd suggest you wrap your head and upper shoulders, arms, hands and balls for safety. 

Also, if you use strava, if course you're exposing yourself to direct gps radiation from those satellites as they send those strong waves directly towards your phone. This can be solved by wearing a canine post-surgical neck cone wrapped in tin foil while you ride. Get the one for large dogs, 100-125 lbs. For best results, use one on your neck, each arm, and each leg while riding. And if course use a smaller feline cone on your lower premises, with ample foil. 

This will keep both the headlight emf & strava death rays from invading the important parts of your body. This is really the only way to ensure you're protected.


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## Gundam168 (Dec 19, 2012)

-Archie- said:


> Amazing example of technically-ignorant people's fears. Another one I can remember - several years ago, I've seen small pieces of metal foil (about size of credit card) sold in our town as a special anti-radiation device to be carried along with cellular phone: the description said it will absorb harmful rays and protect the user from danger caused by cellular towers.
> 
> It seems to me, the quality of current school education system is at least questionable...


Ooohhh and your the brightest one to respond over here I'm sure. Bright enough for the title to pique your interest.


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

In archie's defense I'm not sure he was criticizing the entire topic - there was legitimate concern over emf for several years in the late 90's and early 2000's as we all started carrying strong radios near our heads and crotches.

I think he's more deriding the idea that buying small credit card size or stick-on pieces of foil would protect you, because, it should be pretty obvious to anyone who's taken high school science that, if the foil could make any difference at all, it would have to cover the entire area exposed to external antennas (i.e requiring covering your entire body), and to protect you from the phone, be put _between you and the phone_ (i.e. On the keypad and screen!), not stick on the outside.

I agree seeing all those little things for sale, and those 'antenna boosters' which stuck to the back of your phone and didn't actually physically connect to the antenna, was pretty laughable.


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## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

Let's put this to rest since I've found the DIY solution that solves this. Get some aluminum foil, make it into a skull cap shape and wear it on your head inside of your helmet. 

J.


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## znomit (Dec 27, 2007)

Don't know about lights causing cancer but if you read some of the posts here they seem to cause early onset dementia. :devil:


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## Cat-man-do (May 16, 2004)

znomit said:


> Don't know about lights causing cancer but if you read some of the posts here they seem to cause early onset dementia. :devil:











LMFCAO :lol:


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