I’ve written so many articles on the best low EMF products that you can buy, but recently I’ve gotten a few questions about what the lowest EMF computer mouse is.
I think this is a great question, mostly because it’s something that many people use every single day, and it’s in direct contact with your skin.
There is a bit to know about how modern mice work, and how to choose the lowest EMF option, but to save you time, I’m going to jump right into the lowest EMF mice available. After I cover what you should look for and what you should buy, I’ll dive a bit deeper into just how much EMF radiation mice emit, and why it even matters.
What To Look For In A Low EMF Computer Mouse
This is the first thing we need to talk about, because mice have changed quite a bit over the last 20 years.
These days, just about every mouse that you see uses an optical sensor. Essentially, there is an LED (light-emitting diode) light mounted to the bottom of the mouse that is constantly streaming light, it then bounces off your mousepad and is picked up by a photocell in the mouse.
This system allows the mouse movements to be read much more precisely. When this technology first came out in the late 90’s it was pretty revolutionary, but also quite expensive. It replaced the older “ball style” mice that many had become accustomed to (if you’re quite young, you may have no clue what I’m talking about.)
The problem, that we’ll discuss later, with modern mice, is that they actually emit quite a bit of EMF radiation, specifically electric field radiation.
I measured the electric field radiation from two optical mice I had lying around, and they both were emitting around 400 V/m, which is actually quite a lot, and more than you should want touching your skin for 8 hours a day.
So, the first danger with modern mice is electric field radiation. However, if they are wireless mice, then you also have to worry about radio frequency EMF radiation from the Bluetooth antenna in the mouse.
You see, Bluetooth is a common type of wireless data transfer, but it uses radio frequency waves to send the data, just like a cell phone sends data to a tower.
I’m not going to go over the specific reasons that RF radiation from Bluetooth can be harmful, because I already have so many articles on it, but it’s something good to know.
So, when looking for a Low EMF computer mouse, here are the main things we want to look for:
1. Try to Find “Ball Style” Mouse if Possible
I was able to locate an old style ball type mouse recently, and the emissions from the electric and magnetic fields were practically nothing. In fact, compared to an optical sensor mouse, the emissions might as well be nothing at all.
These mice are a bit tough to find these days, and often times if you do see one at a garage sale or something, it won’t have the right type of connector. Don’t worry though, I’ll link you to some that I was able to find in the section below.
I’ll suggest a few optical mice that have lower EMF’s than others, however if your primary focus is the lowest possible EMF radiation, then this is what you want to look for.
2. Get a Corded Mouse
Like I mentioned up above, cordless mice will always emit more EMF radiation than corded mice, simply because they have to transmit the data wirelessly, exposing you to RF radiation on top of the electric and magnetic field radiation.
All of the mice that I’ll be talking about in the next section are corded mice because if you’re actually looking for a good low EMF mouse, it really needs to be corded.
3. The less features the better
This one may seem a little self-explanatory, but I still think it’s worth covering real fast.
Many computer mice today come with a ton of features, extra buttons, lights, and just about anything else you can think of. While many of these are convenient, I would try to stick with a mouse that has a basic scroll wheel and nothing else.
Unless you’re a professional gamer, I really don’t think you’ll actually need any of the extra buttons, lights, or other functionality.
Alright, now that we’ve talked about what to look for in a low EMF mouse, let’s talk about which ones I would personally recommend.
Best Low EMF Computer Mice
First, a quick disclaimer. None of the mice listed here produce “zero” EMF radiation, however most of them emit a very low, harmless, amount of radiation; little enough that you shouldn’t need to worry about it.
Also, this is not a list of the “absolute lowest EMF radiation mice” because that would just be a list of completely outdated, unusable ball mice from the ’80s and ’90s.
Instead, this is a list of the best computer mice that also produce very little EMF radiation.
Alright, let’s get started.
1. Low EMF Emissions Computer Mouse
Check availability and price on Amazon.
I had to list this mouse first because it’s absolutely the lowest EMF mouse that you’ll find anywhere.
First of all, like we talked about above, it’s a true “ball mouse” meaning that it uses a physical ball to track mouse movements instead of an infrared light.
Second of all, it’s a corded mouse, so you won’t have to worry about any wireless emf exposure transmissions with this mouse. However, there are some major downsides to using these older model mice such as this one that I have to cover if you’re going to order one.
First of all, this comes with a serial plug, not USB, so you’ll need to get a USB adapter if you want to use this mouse with a newer computer.
Second of all, it’s a bit hit and miss as to whether your computer will recognize this mouse because of the need for an adapter. So, just be prepared to return it if it does not work with your computer.
I’ve also heard that it does not work at all with Mac computers, so if you own an Apple, then this is not the mouses for you.
2. Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse
Check price and availability on Amazon.
Now that we covered the basic ball mouse above, it’s time to talk about a low EMF usb mouse that I can actually get behind.
Although this mouse does technically use an optical sensor to detect the movement of your mouse, it has extremely low emissions. I tested several optical mice for this article and this was by far the lowest that I tested.
It’s a corded mouse, with absolutely no batteries or frills of any kind. It does not have extra lights or buttons, just a simple scroll wheel.
I also happen to think that this is a pretty great mouse. I found it comfortable and easy to use, with a plenty long enough cord. It should also work with just about any computer since it will plug into any USB port.
Overall, this is probably the lowest EMF optical mouse that you’ll find on the market today.
3. Logitech B100 Corded Mouse
Check price and availability on Amazon.
The last mouse I want to mention is functionally similar to the Microsoft mouse.
The main differences are that this mouse is slightly more accurate but it also does emit just slightly more EMF radiation.
Just like the Microsoft mouse, this one is optical, but it’s also corded. It’s an ambidextrous mouse that is comfortable and easy to use and overall it’s just a really good mouse.
Do Computer Mice Emit EMF Radiation?
Alright, now that we’ve covered the lowest EMF mice available, let’s talk a little bit about if, and how much, EMF radiation they emit.
First of all, computer mice absolutely emit EMF radiation, like we discussed above, primarily electric field and radio frequency radiation (if they are wireless). The electromagnetic fields emitted from the mice, is potentially harmful, especially with excessive exposure considering the close range.
However, there are certainly more dangerous sources of EMF radiation in your life, such as your cell-phone, WiFi, smart meter, etc.
One of things we do know though about the potential health affects of high EMF exposure is that the damage is cumulative, meaning anything we can do to lower our exposure will help protect us.
For example, wresting your hands directly on a laptop computer compared to using a wired mouse and keyboard will make a big difference.
Now that we’ve talked about whether computer mice do in fact emit EMF radiation, let’s go over some basic protection options.
Does A Wireless Mouse Emit EMF Radiation?
Yes, wireless mice absolutely emit EMF radiation. They primarily emit radiofrequency (RF) radiation (same as microwave radiation) through their Bluetooth connection to your computer, however the electronics in the mouse also emit electric field radiation. Although the radiation emitted is small compared to something such a cell-phone, it’s still significant enough to consider safer options.
EMF Protection From Computer Mice
First of all, at least when it comes to laptops, choosing a computer mouse over using the laptop trackpad is already a good choice.
Wresting your palms directly on the laptop exposes your skin to much higher levels of EMF radiation than if you were to use a mouse, so that’s already a good start.
Really, after that, all that you can do to protect yourself from the radiation your mouse emits is to use a low EMF mouses like we talked about above, and to reduce your total use.
No matter what you’re going to do though, I’d really suggest you get an EMF meter, like my favorite the Trifield TF2 by Alphalabs that you can pick up on Amazon.
If you have a Trifield meter like the one I talked about above, you can actually read how much EMF radiation your mouse (and anything else in your home) is emitting, and compare with other products.
Alright, that’s it, those are all my thoughts on choosing a good low EMF computer mouse. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my article on low EMF keyboards as well, or just look around in the knowledge section.
