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What do we do about this? Are there BPA-free headphones on the market?
by branon 7mo ago
What do we do about this?
Are there BPA-free headphones on the market?
- konmok 7mo agoI'm wondering the same. There are some master&dynamic models that are mostly made from metal/leather, but they're above my usual price range. I'm not really an audiophile, I'll settle for lower audio quality, but I'd prefer to wear one that doesn't have me constantly guessing whether I'm poisoning myself.
- branon 7mo agoThe PDF lists specific products and their results, Sony WH-1000XM5 look good, so do a few others. Purchasing a known-good model might be a good idea but I question how effective this would be, given potential variance in manufacturing processes between lots. I use SteelSeries Arctis 1 which wasn't tested. The Arctis Nova 5 scored "red" for parts touching the skin though, so...
- nayroclade 7mo agoAnnex 1 of the study lists the test results for individual brands/models. There are several, including Airpods, that get an all-green evaluation score.
- chr15m 7mo agoDo you have a link to the study? How does that line up with "100% contained traces of hazardous chemicals"?
- nozzlegear 7mo agoHere's the study: https://arnika.org/en/publications/download/2128_f40ae4eb2e63e4dc3205035fb376d8e3 https://arnika.org/en/publications/download/2128_f40ae4eb2e6...
- gnabgib 7mo agoThat URL is at the top of the page
- nozzlegear 7mo agoAh, doesn't show on the mobile app I'm using. I see it now on the website though.
- terribleperson 7mo agoWear over-the-ear headphones and use ear cushions or cushion covers that are made of fabric.
- devanl 7mo agoTo add on to what others have already mentioned, the PDF has more details on bisphenols which paints a less dire picture than the press release. 1. There are no EU-wide regulations restricting on BPA concentrations in electronics devices. 2. The ECHA has proposed for limits is 10mg/kg which is also used for the OEKO-TEX Standard 100. 3. In the study's evaluation criteria, for parts to achieve a green rating for bisphenols, the concentration has be below 0.8mg/kg for parts touching the skin and below 10mg/kg for parts not touching the skin. 4. 69% of the tested samples achieved a green rating for bisphenols. So while there is a gap in regulations ensuring a safe baseline for electronics, the majority of the tested headphones are doing okay as far as bisphenol exposure even under the proposed guidelines.