Some European retailers have pulled certain headphones from their shelves after an EU-funded study found hormone-disrupting chemicals in every product tested.
The study analyzed 81 different types of headphones across more than 50 brands, including Apple, Beats, Samsung, Bose, JBL, and Sennheiser. Researchers disassembled the headphones and collected 180 samples of hard and soft plastics from products marketed to adults, teens, and children.
Every headphone tested contained at least trace amounts of bisphenols, phthalates, and flame retardants — chemicals linked to reproductive health issues, neurobehavioral problems, and other health risks.
How Products Were Rated
Each set of headphones received three scores: one for parts that touch the skin, one for parts that don’t, and a total product evaluation. Ratings ran green for lowest risk, yellow for legally compliant but exceeding stricter voluntary limits, and red for high concern or non-compliance.
Apple‘s AirPods Pro 2 and JBL‘s Tune 720BT received green ratings across all three categories. HP‘s HyperX Cloud III gaming headset and Razer‘s Kraken V3 scored red across all three. JBL’s Wave Beam and JR310BT — both children’s headphones — received red scores for parts not touching the skin and in the total product evaluation.
The report does not disclose exact chemical concentrations for individual products, only which substances were identified.
Online retailers Bol.com, Coolblue, and Mediamarkt are among those reported to have pulled some of the worst-scoring models, according to local news outlets. None of the three retailers confirmed which specific products they removed.
Manufacturers Push Back
Of 11 major manufacturers contacted, only Bose, Sennheiser, and Marshall responded. All three say their products comply with legal safety requirements and questioned the study’s methodology.
Bose spokesperson Joanne Berthiaume said in an email: “It is unclear what facts the lab used to reach its conclusions.” Sennheiser spokesperson Eric Palonen said the company contacted the report authors seeking the exact data for its products in order to verify findings.
The research was produced under the ToxFree LIFE for All project by five consumer advocacy groups based in the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, and Austria, and received a roughly 2 million-euro grant from the EU.
Co-author Karolína Brabcová, a campaign manager on toxic chemicals at Czech nonprofit Arnika, said the findings point to a broader problem. “We really think a systemic approach in banning and phasing out the most harmful chemicals — which have generational effects — is the way forward,” she said.
The study’s authors note particular concern for children, teens, and pregnant people, given the chemicals’ known effects on developing systems even at low concentrations.
Photo by Pixabay
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