Popular headphones contain hormone-disrupting chemicals

Endocrine disruptors bisphenols, phthalates and flame retardants can leach from headphones and be absorbed through the skin, especially during exercise

A European analysis of headphone models has found they all contained hazardous substances, including chemicals that “can cause cancer, neurodevelopmental problems and the feminisation of males”.

The study, conducted as part of the EU-funded ToxFree LIFE for All project, analysed 180 samples of hard and soft plastic components from 81 headphone products marketed to children, teenagers, and adults in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Austria.

All the models tested by Czech non-profit organisation Arnika contained traces of bisphenols, phthalates and flame retardants. The widely restricted Bisphenol A (BPA) was in 98% of samples, while its substitute, Bisphenol S (BPS), was found in more than three-quarters. Maximum concentrations reached 351 mg/kg, far higher than the 10 mg/kg limit proposed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). 

Hazardous substances were detected in every product tested, even those by market-leading brands such as Bose, Panasonic and Samsung. This includes trace quantities of phthalates – reproductive toxins that can impair fertility; chlorinated paraffins – linked to liver and kidney damage; and brominated and organophosphate flame retardants, which have similar endocrine disrupting properties to bisphenols.

Authors said the results revealed a “systemic failure in consumer safety regulation across the electronics industry”.

Karolina Brabcová, chemical expert at Arnika, said: “These chemicals may be migrating from the headphones into our body. Daily use – especially during exercise when heat and sweat are present – accelerates this migration directly to the skin. Long-term exposures, especially for vulnerable groups like teenagers, are of great concern. There is no 'safe' level for endocrine disruptors that mimic our natural hormones." 

“Preventative action, not a game of chemical whack-a-mole, is needed to protect people and nature from these substances.”

Anna Watson, Director of Policy and Advocacy at CHEM Trust, said: “It is concerning to see chemicals that can affect our hormones, such as Bisphenol A, in products that many people use daily.

“Hormone disrupting chemicals can impact our bodies at incredibly low levels and the scientific consensus suggests that there is no safe level for these substances. So, although most of the substances were found at low levels, they still pose cause for concern. 

“Harmful chemicals should be regulated as groups, not one by one. Otherwise, we simply see ‘regrettable substitution’, where one harmful substance is swapped for another with similar risks. Preventative action, not a game of chemical whack-a-mole, is needed to protect people and nature from these substances. 

“We’re calling on policymakers to put much stronger protections in place to keep the most hazardous chemicals, including hormone-disrupting substances, out of consumer products and other uses."  

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We have some of the most robust product safety laws in the world and any product being put on the UK market by manufacturers and suppliers must meet our strict criteria. 

“We have powers to tackle modern-day safety issues including chemical risk and are updating our product safety laws to keep children and the wider public safe, as well as taking action to stop unsafe or non-compliant products from reaching them.” 

EHN Extra has reported previously on toxic chemicals in food packaging and the ‘ticking time-bomb’ of ‘forever’ chemicals in other household products.