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https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/18/hazardous-substances-headphones>
"You wear them at work, you wear them at play, you wear them to relax. You may
even get sweaty in them at the gym.
But an investigation into headphones has found every single pair tested
contained substances hazardous to human health, including chemicals that can
cause cancer, neurodevelopmental problems and the feminisation of males.
Even products by market-leading brands such as Bose, Panasonic, Samsung and
Sennheiser were found to contain harmful chemicals in the formulation of the
plastics from which they are made.
Campaigners condemned “a market-wide failure” as they called for broad bans on
whole classes of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in consumer goods and greater
transparency from manufacturers about what is in their products.
“These chemicals are not just additives; they may be migrating from the
headphones into our body,” said Karolína Brabcová, chemical expert at Arnika,
part of the ToxFree LIFE for All project, a partnership of central European
civil society groups that carried out the research.
“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.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
