Bol.com and Mediamarkt are among several electronics retailers to withdraw headphones from sale because they may contain potentially dangerous concentrations of harmful chemicals.

A study funded by the EU Life Programme and the Czech Republic environment ministry looked at 81 sets of headphones and found concentrations of chemicals, including bisphenol A, an endocrine disruptor.  for which there is a legal maximum in clothing but not for other objects like headphones.

The chemical, which can affect immunity and fertility, was completely banned in food packaging in 2024. There is a legal maximum about how much can be in clothing but not for other objects like headphones.

According to the researchers, intensive use and sweating increases the risk of harmful effects from the chemicals used to make headphones. They recommend people not sleep while wearing their headphones and take breaks from gaming or listening to music.

It is not clear how much of a danger the headphones are but Bol.com stopped the sale of the HyperX Cloud III and the Razer Kraken VS, which showed higher concentrations than others, until further notice.

Mediamarkt removed the Paw Patrol headphones from its online shop. “We are taking this seriously and will investigate,” a Mediamarkt spokesman told the AD.

Hema is talking to its suppliers, a spokesman told broadcaster NOS. “We want to know more about the research; how exactly it was carried out, with what purpose and to what extent the chemicals are harmful to health,” he said.

According to toxicologist Jan Tytgat, the effects of BPA in objects connecting to the skin are many times less harmful than in food packaging.

The chemical can penetrate skin via a headphone but it is not clear what the risks are, Tytgat said. “Perhaps the real risk is negligible. I have never come across people who use their headphones intensively with those harmful chemicals in their urine or blood. I don’t think that has been measured properly yet,” he told the broadcaster.