No, your Note8's S Pen isn't going to give you cancer.

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

So, you may or may not have seen a video where it is claimed that S Pen causes cancer due to the phone detecting the S Pen when it is close to the display, issuing concerns about radiation.

Well, let me debunk this.

First of all, all mobile communications devices produce a form of radiation that is considered to be non-ionizing. Compared to ionizing radiation, which can cause cancer when exposed to it for extended periods, non-ionizing radiation is significantly weaker and has not yet been proven to cause any significant issues which would lead to cancer.

Back to the S Pen. The S Pen actually communicates to the Note via electromagnetic waves. When the pen is close by, it receives these waves which powers up the stylus and allows it to know where on the display it is and whether it is actively being pressed down or not. Even when it does produce non-ionizing radiation, the amount would be so low, it would be negligible.

Honestly, it kinda boggles my mind how people are concerned about non-ionizing radiation produced by a cell phone when in truth, we live in a world where radio waves are pretty much everywhere. Your phone doesn't receive signal out of thin air.

 

[trucksmoveamerica#AC]

This is what happens when iPhone sales drop, fear advertising starts. You are correct, the signals are all around us all day long every day.

 

[Mooncatt]

It may give you cancer... If you ate the S-pen, or some silly thing like that.

 

[frankenhooker]

I've got two S Pens. I'm so worried I've put both in the freezer !!

 

[Rukbat]

1. Electromagnetic radiation is still radiation, but it's the non-ionizing kind. (The light from a light bulb is more dangerous - it's just that the amount is so small that a lifetime under a 100 Watt light bulb won't even give you a tan.)

2. Non-ionizing radiation isn't just a weaker form of radiation, it's a different type of radiation. It's like eating arsenic. Chemicals can kill you. Salt is also a chemical (sodium chloride) - but eating something with a little salt sprinkled on it, the same amount that would kill you if it was arsenic - won't harm you. Type, in this case, is more important than amount.

3. The S-Pen doesn't produce radiation - of any kind. It receives radiation from a special layer in the screen of a phone that uses an S-Pen (which is why the pen does nothing on a phone that doesn't come with an S-Pen). It's the screen that produces the radiation. But a wireless charger produces far more radiation, and it's perfectly safe. The S-Pen just modifies the screen's radiation field, so the screen knows where the pen is and whether the button on the pen has been pressed. (The rest is "smarts" in Android.)

We're probably going to see this again in August/September, when the Note 9 comes out, if the new iPhone doesn't sell like hotcakes (and it'll probably float like a lead balloon, considering that it's not really offering anything new).

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

1. Electromagnetic radiation is still radiation, but it's the non-ionizing kind. (The light from a light bulb is more dangerous - it's just that the amount is so small that a lifetime under a 100 Watt light bulb won't even give you a tan.)

2. Non-ionizing radiation isn't just a weaker form of radiation, it's a different type of radiation. It's like eating arsenic. Chemicals can kill you. Salt is also a chemical (sodium chloride) - but eating something with a little salt sprinkled on it, the same amount that would kill you if it was arsenic - won't harm you. Type, in this case, is more important than amount.

3. The S-Pen doesn't produce radiation - of any kind. It receives radiation from a special layer in the screen of a phone that uses an S-Pen (which is why the pen does nothing on a phone that doesn't come with an S-Pen). It's the screen that produces the radiation. But a wireless charger produces far more radiation, and it's perfectly safe. The S-Pen just modifies the screen's radiation field, so the screen knows where the pen is and whether the button on the pen has been pressed. (The rest is "smarts" in Android.)

We're probably going to see this again in August/September, when the Note 9 comes out, if the new iPhone doesn't sell like hotcakes (and it'll probably float like a lead balloon, considering that it's not really offering anything new).

Kinda boggles my mind how people come to a conclusion without adequate research

 

[Rukbat]

People are kind of funny animals. If we draw a conclusion, we assume that it's correct, and it takes more than just a crowbar to change the way we think.

 

[anon(7901790)]

I couldn't help but Google it. Sure enough, the first thing to pop up was this video. I flagged it as spam or misleading.

For the record, I used to work on nuclear weapons and, so far, I haven't had any symptoms of ionized radiation. I've received more radiation from x-rays than from being around nuclear warheads.

Even before Tesla invented wireless communications, we were receiving electromagnetic radiation... It's called... Wait for it... Sun light.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

I couldn't help but Google it. Sure enough, the first thing to pop up was this video. I flagged it as spam or misleading.

For the record, I used to work on nuclear weapons and, so far, I haven't had any symptoms of ionized radiation. I've received more radiation from x-rays than from being around nuclear warheads.

Even before Tesla invented wireless communications, we were receiving electromagnetic radiation... It's called... Wait for it... Sun light.

You know, how have people not understood that the sun works in radiation?

 

[anon(7901790)]

You know, how have people not understood that the sun works in radiation?

It's a lack of education. I learned that the sun emits radiation in school... Back when they actually taught kids subjects like science.

 

[eshropshire]

It may give you cancer... If you ate the S-pen, or some silly thing like that.

Yes, but like most of those cancer studies you need to eat 1,000 sPens a month for ten years to cause cancer.

 

[kj11]

I mean, even if it did give me cancer... Worth it.

 

[Dooki]

It's a lack of education. I learned that the sun emits radiation in school... Back when they actually taught kids subjects like science.

My father is 74, he was told that the sun and moon can not both be seen during the day. You, know, back when they taught real science.

When I worked in a paint factory we shipped product to California, it was the only state that required a warning about cancer.

 

[anon(7901790)]

My father is 74, he was told that the sun and moon can not both be seen during the day. You, know, back when they taught real science.

When I worked in a paint factory we shipped product to California, it was the only state that required a warning about cancer.

My dad is around that age too and he never told me that.

 

[Tim1954]

It amuses me that ppl worry about S pen causing cancer as they wander around sucking on cigarettes....

 

[chanchan05]

My father is 74, he was told that the sun and moon can not both be seen during the day. You, know, back when they taught real science.

When I worked in a paint factory we shipped product to California, it was the only state that required a warning about cancer.

The california cancer warning is stupid really. As long as it has a known carcinogen, you slap a warning. Even if the item itself is not carcinogenic or the composition of the products render them inert. It's like slapping a poison warning on salt because it's made of sodium and choride (both poisons).

 

[Mooncatt]

The california cancer warning is stupid really. As long as it has a known carcinogen, you slap a warning. Even if the item itself is not carcinogenic or the composition of the products render them inert. It's like slapping a poison warning on salt because it's made of sodium and choride (both poisons).

I'm surprised that label isn't printed on bottles of water yet...

 

[Golfdriver97]

It's called... Wait for it... Sun light.

I was already thinking isn't it more likely to get skin cancer from Sunlight than anything a cell phone transmits?

 

[Golfdriver97]

I'm surprised that label isn't printed on bottles of water yet...

I'm waiting for a California disclaimer for the air: 'It is known to the State of California that breathing in the State of California can cause cancer".

 

[Mooncatt]

I'm waiting for a California disclaimer for the air: 'It is known to the State of California that breathing in the State of California can cause cancer".

I thought about saying that as well.

The sarcastic side of me says everything causes cancer. The informed side of me says carbs cause it. Well... Allows it to be a problem. Cancer cells thrive on carbs, but can't get energy from fat.