Some European retailers have stopped selling some headphones after an EU-funded study found they contained hormone-disrupting chemicals.
The study included major brands like Apple, Beats, Samsung, Bose, JBL and Sennheiser. Online stores Bol.com, Coolblue and Mediamarkt did not respond to inquiries. The Verge There’s no word on which headphones they pulled, but local news outlets report that they are among the retailers that have decided to remove some of the models with the worst scores from the market.
The study authors analyzed 81 different types of headphones, and found that all of them contained at least traces of harmful chemicals, including bisphenols, phthalates, and flame retardants. These are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are linked to reproductive health problems, neurobehavioral problems, and other health risks.
“We really think that a systemic approach to banning and phasing out the most harmful chemicals – those that have generational impacts – is the way forward.”
And while the chemicals were found in low concentrations, their prevalence in the headphones studied shows how widespread and overlooked their use can be. It also raises questions about the cumulative toll products containing these substances may have on more vulnerable individuals, including children, adolescents, and pregnant people.
“We really think that a systemic approach to banning and phasing out the most harmful chemicals – which have generational impacts – is the way forward,” says Karolina Brabkova, a campaign manager on toxic chemicals in consumer products at the Czech nonprofit Arnica, who coauthored the report.
Brabkova and her colleagues produced the report as part of the Toxfree Life for All project along with four other consumer advocacy groups based in the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary and Austria. The project has received a grant of approximately 2 million euros from the European Union.
To conduct this study, researchers took apart headphones to collect 180 samples of hard and soft plastics from products marketed to adults, teens, and children. A lab analyzed samples to look for hormone-disrupting chemicals in products made by more than 50 different brands.
They gave each set of headphones three points for the parts that touch the skin No skin touching, and overall product evaluation. For each category, headphones were rated either green for “minimal risk”, yellow for being “legally compliant but exceeding strict voluntary limits”, or red for “high concern”. Samples that “did not comply with legal limits or included[ed] Multiple hazardous substances” received a red rating. But the report did not disclose exact numbers on how much of each substance was found in each sample, only which chemicals were identified.
For example, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 and JBL’s Tune 720BT received green ratings across the board. But test results for different products made by the same brand also varied. JBL’s Wave Beam and JR310BT, which are headphones for kids, both got red scores in the skin-non-touch parts and overall product evaluation. Meanwhile, HP’s HyperX Cloud III gaming headset and Razer’s Kraken V3 both scored red in all three categories.
The Verge Eleven major manufacturers involved in the study were contacted. Only Bose, Sennheiser and Marshall responded; They all say that their products comply with legal safety requirements.
The companies also raised questions about the methodology used in the study. “It is unclear what facts the lab used to reach its conclusions,” Bose spokesperson Joan Berthiaume said in an email. Sennheiser spokesman Eric Pallonen said the company contacted the report authors, “hoping to obtain accurate data for the Sennheiser products tested to verify our data and decide on next steps,” but the organization did not provide the requested data.
“There is no imminent danger”
“The study used its own testing criteria and characterized the product based on thresholds for BPA-related substances that are more stringent than those typically applied to plastics used in electronic products,” Anna Forsgren, Marshall Group’s product compliance and sustainability manager, said in an email. Forsgren also noted that the company is “welcoming.”[s] “Reports like this bring greater transparency and accountability to the industry.”
Brabkova says several producers reached out to Arnica to ask how she conducted the study. Although the group declined to confirm which companies were in contact, Brabkova sees their interest in the report as a sign that companies are thinking about how they can improve their products.
Brabkova explains that the goal was not to rank headphones or discourage consumers from purchasing some of the products mentioned. The Verge. Ultimately, the chemicals were found at low levels in the samples. “There is no imminent danger from using them [headphones] And then these are very low concentrations,” says Brabkova.
Instead, Brabkova and her colleagues want to draw attention to the multiple ways consumers come into contact with these chemicals in their daily lives and the cumulative risk they pose. “Even a small product like headphones, there’s a mix of chemicals that people can be exposed to. And now, multiply that by 100 because we use hundreds of products a day,” she says. These headphones also eventually become e-waste, which can release chemicals into the air when burned or leach from landfills into water sources.
“The idea is that you don’t want to get high risk from here and there and everywhere else,” says Emin Chen, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. “If you can reduce the risk, it’s always good.”
Bisphenols are commonly used to bond plastic or metal parts and provide thermal insulation for printed circuit boards and batteries. The most notorious type of this chemical, BPA linked to developmental risks to children, was found in 98 percent of headphone samples. Phthalates are widely used to make plastics more flexible and to add fragrance to personal care products. About 60 percent of the samples in the study contained trace amounts of phthalates known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic.
“You don’t want to get high performance here and there and everywhere”
Chen says the report from Arnica and its partners doesn’t go so far as to show how much exposure a person might have to these chemicals from wearing certain headphones — just that the chemicals are in the devices. Further research, controlled studies, will be needed to see how much of a substance can enter the human body through skin contact or by inadvertently ingesting dust from the product.
Part of the concern with headphones is that users have to wear them for long periods of time and while working out. Chen and the report authors say high temperatures and moisture from sweat can speed up the release of harmful substances.
Gaming headsets especially stood out for their low scores in the study. This raises concerns about populations that may wear headphones for extended periods of time, as well as groups such as the young and pregnant people who are more sensitive to hormone-disrupting chemicals. Compared to an adult, a teen, child or fetus is more sensitive to the effects of chemicals that can interfere with hormones and disrupt the body’s development.
Nearly 60 percent of the samples of gaming headphones received a “red” rating for their overall evaluation, compared to about a quarter of the samples of products designed for children. The high ratings of many children’s designs show that it is possible to reduce the risks by taking extra precautions. The report’s authors are calling on lawmakers to take stronger action to limit the use of harmful substances in consumer products. This includes banning entire categories of chemicals and disclosing what types of substances are in electronics.
Brabkova says companies can also move the ball forward. “Progressive manufacturers really make a great nod to the law at the end of the day,” she says. Noting that more than 40 percent of the 81 headphones tested ultimately received an overall “green” score, she says brands can definitely meet stricter safety standards. “There are companies that go beyond [legal requirements] And it is the consumer’s right to choose brands with better policies.
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