I read this in the Kobo Vox Guide

dee_can · 01-03-2012, 01:16 PM

Under the Legal Notes at the end of the book, something to the effect of 'Keep the reader away from medical devices such as pace makers and hearing aids... may cause death or explosion'.

I can understand the pace maker (which I don't have) warning, but I don't understand the hearing aid issue (would they mean only digital and not analogue?). I do wear a hearing aid although I haven't switched over to digital technology yet, but I will be soon. Is this dangerous ie. will I,um, explode or something?

Also another thing I noticed in the legal issues was the radiation warnings, and to keep the vox a certain distance from the body. I won't be reading with the wifi on, but then I'm not really used to reading with this backlit screen.

I'm probably one of the few that worries about these things.

oldyellr · 01-03-2012, 01:49 PM

You probably won't get a reply from Kobo that your hearing aid is absolutely safe, but I doubt if it would get blown up by the Vox, anymore than the Vox or a cellphone would bring down an aircraft if you turned it on. But they tell you not to. Same as you're not supposed to use cellphone in hospitals because of sensitive medical equipment. If you were to read the fine print in the manual that comes with a smartphone, you'd probably find the same warning. The lawyers have to earn their keep.

LauraPony · 01-03-2012, 01:51 PM

The radiation issue is an interesting issue for me as I'm pregnant. I'm sure they just have to put something like that in the legal disclaimer, but would be interested in further explanation from someone in the know.

oldyellr · 01-03-2012, 02:07 PM

I see they're removing WiFi from some schools because there's talk of it being dangerous to small children. There are also warnings that radiation from cellphones can harm children. Whatever happened with all the fuss about hydro transmission lines emitting radiation that harmed people and livestock? Today there are 1000 times more accounts of wind turbines making people sick than there were just a few years ago, but our Ontario government is blindly forging ahead with its sweetheart deals. Who knows, maybe in 20 years we'll know a lot more about the harmful effects of today's technology, just like we now know that using lead paint and dumping toxic waste 50 years ago wan not a good idea.

BWinmill · 01-03-2012, 04:27 PM

In all probability, those warnings exist to ward off lawsuits. It's a sort of, "we told you this could happen, but you used it anyway." Yet that does not mean that the suggested adverse affects are actually true.

oldyellr: To pull from that hydro transmission line comparison: if you think those things are dangerous, you better evacuate your own home. The wiring in your home radiates the same stuff as those big towers, only household wiring is much closer to your body and you spend much more time next to household wiring so it should be much more dangerous. Yet people are driven nuts by the large pylons and don't give household wiring a second thought. Maybe it's because the pylons look so ominous ...

dee_can · 01-03-2012, 04:57 PM

I agree with you guys that the warnings are made to cover themselves just in case. I'd like to know what prior incidents with hearing aids lead them to make these warnings, though. Yikes.

I admit to turning off my router every night, and turning it back on in the morning just to reduce excess 'waves' while I sleep... hopefully. Although, there are so many neighbours with wifi networks that seem to leave their's on all the time that it probably doesn't make a difference. When I first set up wifi I actually considered running a looonnng cable from the main computer downstairs to upstairs to plug in my laptop - ha - but it was little inconvenient and cluttered.

profbisson · 01-03-2012, 05:15 PM

I wear a digital hearing aid and have not noticed any interference what so ever. So, yes it is just a blanket legal disclaimer.

TonyToews · 01-03-2012, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dee_can

I admit to turning off my router every night, and turning it back on in the morning just to reduce excess 'waves' while I sleep... hopefully. Although, there are so many neighbours with wifi networks that seem to leave their's on all the time that it probably doesn't make a difference.

The signal strength coming from your neighbours WiFi is about 1/64th or less as strong as your WiFi. Just guessing at the numbers based on what I see here.

Now are there reports of cancer or other illness being higher in radio repair technicians or amateur radio operators who work or play with radio waves all day long? What about high voltage electricians whose job it is to work in the power substations?

That radio the police or EMTs use is about 10 to 100 times as powerful as your cell phone. Are there are any reports of cancer or illness with them?

Lobasa · 01-03-2012, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by profbisson

I wear a digital hearing aid and have not noticed any interference what so ever. So, yes it is just a blanket legal disclaimer.

Do you think the concern is about interference? My 7 year old uses a digital HA and reading that warning made me want to throw my brand new VOX out! He also has a dedicated FM receiver. If he had the universal FM receiver, I would certainly be worried, but do you think I should be with what he uses?

Lastly, it appears that the answer is to turn the WIFI off- right?

Thank you Prof Bisson and anyone else with something to share.

A panicked Mum

jefftheworld · 01-04-2012, 09:31 PM

To those worried about Wifi and other forms of radiation:

Wifi is a form of radio that operates in the 2.4 GHz or 5GHz frequency block. Most wireless units operate at under or around 1 watt.

When you pass near an AM broadcast station you're being exposed to around 50,000 watts.

If radio waves are dangerous (and they've never been proven to be by any reputable study), then wifi is 50,000 times safer than conventional radio.

If you're worried about radiation, read this:

http://xkcd.com/radiation/

I almost guarantee you'll be a lot less worried when you're done.

(Either that or you'll stop sleeping next to people to keep from getting radiated by them.)

TonyToews · 01-04-2012, 11:38 PM

Note radio waves and ionizing radiation have nothing to do with each other. So that chart is irrelevant to WiFi, cell phones, etc.

jefftheworld · 01-05-2012, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyToews

Note radio waves and ionizing radiation have nothing to do with each other. So that chart is irrelevant to WiFi, cell phones, etc.

Yes, they're related but different. I only posted the chart because people were talking about radiation and I wanted them to see how silly their concerns over radiation are.

lioslaith · 01-05-2012, 04:09 PM

This is just Kobo covering their butt legally on the rare off chance these things happen. I've noticed a lot of manuals/user guides have a few pages of instructions (if that) then the majority of the publication in small print warning if this or that happens they are not liable because they've given you this warning.

This reminds me of health warnings that experts announce regularly about food ... my Mum is always amused when another food type is labelled as causing such and such when she grew up eating it on a regular basis as did her many siblings and most of them are still going around into the 70's and 80's.

She keeps asking when breathing will be labelled as bad for your health and you be advised to stop/minimise usage for your long term health.

Generally common sense is all that's needed. Look into it and see what the real chance/danger of using any device is. You've probably got as much chance of dropping your Vox in water and zapping yourself fishing it or such. It's all about weighing the dangers should any realistically be there.

01-03-2012, 01:16 PM	#1
dee_can Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Canada Device: kobo original, kobo touch, kobo vox, ipod touch	I read this in the Kobo Vox Guide - re: danger warning/hearing aids Under the Legal Notes at the end of the book, something to the effect of 'Keep the reader away from medical devices such as pace makers and hearing aids... may cause death or explosion'. I can understand the pace maker (which I don't have) warning, but I don't understand the hearing aid issue (would they mean only digital and not analogue?). I do wear a hearing aid although I haven't switched over to digital technology yet, but I will be soon. Is this dangerous ie. will I,um, explode or something? Also another thing I noticed in the legal issues was the radiation warnings, and to keep the vox a certain distance from the body. I won't be reading with the wifi on, but then I'm not really used to reading with this backlit screen. I'm probably one of the few that worries about these things. Last edited by dee_can; 01-03-2012 at 01:38 PM. Reason: To be more specific in my subject line

01-04-2012, 09:31 PM	#10
jefftheworld Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 157090 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo, Kobo Vox	To those worried about Wifi and other forms of radiation: Wifi is a form of radio that operates in the 2.4 GHz or 5GHz frequency block. Most wireless units operate at under or around 1 watt. When you pass near an AM broadcast station you're being exposed to around 50,000 watts. If radio waves are dangerous (and they've never been proven to be by any reputable study), then wifi is 50,000 times safer than conventional radio. If you're worried about radiation, read this: http://xkcd.com/radiation/ I almost guarantee you'll be a lot less worried when you're done. (Either that or you'll stop sleeping next to people to keep from getting radiated by them.) Last edited by jefftheworld; 01-04-2012 at 09:34 PM.

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01-03-2012, 01:49 PM	#2
oldyellr Evangelist Posts: 486 Karma: 26106 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Amazon Fire 7	You probably won't get a reply from Kobo that your hearing aid is absolutely safe, but I doubt if it would get blown up by the Vox, anymore than the Vox or a cellphone would bring down an aircraft if you turned it on. But they tell you not to. Same as you're not supposed to use cellphone in hospitals because of sensitive medical equipment. If you were to read the fine print in the manual that comes with a smartphone, you'd probably find the same warning. The lawyers have to earn their keep.

01-03-2012, 01:51 PM	#3
LauraPony Zealot Posts: 134 Karma: 249287 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Device: Nook, Kobo Vox	The radiation issue is an interesting issue for me as I'm pregnant. I'm sure they just have to put something like that in the legal disclaimer, but would be interested in further explanation from someone in the know.

01-03-2012, 02:07 PM	#4
oldyellr Evangelist Posts: 486 Karma: 26106 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Amazon Fire 7	I see they're removing WiFi from some schools because there's talk of it being dangerous to small children. There are also warnings that radiation from cellphones can harm children. Whatever happened with all the fuss about hydro transmission lines emitting radiation that harmed people and livestock? Today there are 1000 times more accounts of wind turbines making people sick than there were just a few years ago, but our Ontario government is blindly forging ahead with its sweetheart deals. Who knows, maybe in 20 years we'll know a lot more about the harmful effects of today's technology, just like we now know that using lead paint and dumping toxic waste 50 years ago wan not a good idea.

01-03-2012, 04:27 PM	#5
BWinmill Nameless Being	In all probability, those warnings exist to ward off lawsuits. It's a sort of, "we told you this could happen, but you used it anyway." Yet that does not mean that the suggested adverse affects are actually true. oldyellr: To pull from that hydro transmission line comparison: if you think those things are dangerous, you better evacuate your own home. The wiring in your home radiates the same stuff as those big towers, only household wiring is much closer to your body and you spend much more time next to household wiring so it should be much more dangerous. Yet people are driven nuts by the large pylons and don't give household wiring a second thought. Maybe it's because the pylons look so ominous ...

01-03-2012, 04:57 PM	#6
dee_can Enthusiast Posts: 32 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Canada Device: kobo original, kobo touch, kobo vox, ipod touch	I agree with you guys that the warnings are made to cover themselves just in case. I'd like to know what prior incidents with hearing aids lead them to make these warnings, though. Yikes. I admit to turning off my router every night, and turning it back on in the morning just to reduce excess 'waves' while I sleep... hopefully. Although, there are so many neighbours with wifi networks that seem to leave their's on all the time that it probably doesn't make a difference. When I first set up wifi I actually considered running a looonnng cable from the main computer downstairs to upstairs to plug in my laptop - ha - but it was little inconvenient and cluttered.

01-03-2012, 05:15 PM	#7
profbisson Member Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kobo Vox	I wear a digital hearing aid and have not noticed any interference what so ever. So, yes it is just a blanket legal disclaimer.

01-04-2012, 11:38 PM	#11
TonyToews Evangelist Posts: 490 Karma: 351398 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kobo Vox and Glo	Note radio waves and ionizing radiation have nothing to do with each other. So that chart is irrelevant to WiFi, cell phones, etc.

01-05-2012, 04:09 PM	#13
lioslaith Zealot Posts: 145 Karma: 1000000 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Scotland, UK Device: Sony 505, Kindle, Kobo Vox/Glo, Nook	This is just Kobo covering their butt legally on the rare off chance these things happen. I've noticed a lot of manuals/user guides have a few pages of instructions (if that) then the majority of the publication in small print warning if this or that happens they are not liable because they've given you this warning. This reminds me of health warnings that experts announce regularly about food ... my Mum is always amused when another food type is labelled as causing such and such when she grew up eating it on a regular basis as did her many siblings and most of them are still going around into the 70's and 80's. She keeps asking when breathing will be labelled as bad for your health and you be advised to stop/minimise usage for your long term health. Generally common sense is all that's needed. Look into it and see what the real chance/danger of using any device is. You've probably got as much chance of dropping your Vox in water and zapping yourself fishing it or such. It's all about weighing the dangers should any realistically be there.

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