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Those substances include ones that can cause cancer, neurodevelopmental problems and even the feminisation of males. And it seems that no brand is safe – even market leaders such as Bose, Panasonic, Samsung and Sennheiser’s products were found to contain them.
These are both synthetic chemicals used to stiffen plastic. But they mimic the action of oestrogen inside organisms, and cause a range of effects including feminisation of males, early onset of puberty in girls, and cancer.
So is it a problem? You don’t eat your headphones, do you? Ah… but previous studies have shown that bisphenols can migrate from synthetic materials into sweat, which can then be absorbed through the skin.
Also found in the headphones were phthalates, which are potent reproductive toxins that can impair fertility; chlorinated paraffins, which have been linked to liver and kidney damage; and brominated and organophosphate flame retardants, which have similar properties to bisphenols. However, most of these were found in only trace quantities.
“These chemicals are not just additives; they may be migrating from the headphones into our body,” said Karolína Brabcová, chemical expert at Arnika, which is one of the partners of ToxFree LIFE for All.
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She warned against overuse: “Daily use – especially during exercise when heat and sweat are present – accelerates this migration directly to the skin. Although there is no immediate health risk, the long-term exposures – especially for vulnerable groups like teenagers – is of great concern. There is no ‘safe’ level for endocrine disruptors that mimic our natural hormones.”
The ToxFREE for Life group bought 81 different headphones for the research, both the in ear and over the ear kind, in a number of countries in central Europe, as well as online via online platforms such as Shein and Temu. They tested them in a laboratory for a range of dangerous substances, and, alarmingly, found harmful chemicals in every single one.
