I wear cheap bone conduction headphones constantly. So I think I'm getting a lot of exposure. I think I'm going to find some kind of bandage or tape which doesn't have this problem, and put it on the headphones. And I'll try to wear them less often, and try especially to avoid sweating in them.
Does anyone have any other ideas to mitigate exposure?
Is bone conduction itself safe for long-term usage? I feel like we're taking advantage of a quirk and using the body in a way it's not meant to be used, kind of like smoking or vaping.
It definitely isn't comparable to smoking or vaping. Those introduces a lot of material to your body that's well established as harmful. To name just a few, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, heavy metals, even radioactive polonium (for tobacco specifically). The problem with smoking isn't that we're misusing our lungs, it's that we're bringing a fairly large amount of toxic material into our bodies.
I'm not worried about bone conduction, I feel that open ear is much safer than closed ear because I can eg hear a smoke alarm or hear a housemate fall and cry out for help. If there were evidence it caused brain damage or something then I would stop using them but I don't think there is. I try to regularly turn my volume down below where I can hear it and then turn it one click up to mitigate damage to my hearing. That's definitely a real risk but that's not specific to bone conduction.
How about in-ear earphones? They use silicone tips, right? Are there any known harmful effects of those?
The study names brands like Bose, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sennheiser. What about Apple airpods? Anyone knows what's that made of and if they've got any harmful effects?
Silicone doesn't require plasticizers (because it's elastic on its own) or fire retardants (because it doesn't burn easily). The material itself is also considered biologically inert and is less affected by temperature, solvents, etc. So it's usually the best choice for stuff like that. The reason it's not as common is that it's more expensive and not as durable. It has relatively poor abrasion and cut resistance.
But then, I wouldn't worry about headphones at all. You probably sleep on a mattress made from polyurethane foam that contains plasticizers and fire retardants in much greater quantities. The same goes for your car seats, and they off-gas a lot more when parked in the sun. You'd probably need to eat 1,000 earbuds to match that.
So looks like one broad conclusion is: the memory foam type of ear bud tip is normally toxic, so go for medical grade silicone replacements.
There are options available on major e-commerce sites. The ones I choose have a stainless steel nozzle and are supposed to enhance the sound reproduction.
A thing to remember is that bisphenols are everywhere, products/coatings/dyes/chemical processing, it's everywhere in the production and logistics of everything.
I understand this concern with headphones specifically (heat + moisture + contact), but the stuff is in your clothes, your cooking utensils, your food packaging, the farm that grew your food, the feed troughs the cows eat out of etc.
with rigorous avoidance you can hope to reduce the amount in your body by like ~50% apparently but you can't get rid of it all because it's everywhere.
unless you live off grid self-sustained and grow your own vegetables and have no plastic in your environment.
so im not sure how much of a concern this study is or not.
"These chemicals are not just additives; they may be migrating from the headphones into our body," said Karolina Brabcová, chemical expert at Arnika. "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, long-term exposures, especially vulnerable groups like teenagers, are of great concern. There is no 'safe' level for endocrine disruptors that mimic our natural hormones."
> There is no 'safe' level for endocrine disruptors that mimic our natural hormones
Can someone knowledgeable comment on this? It seems extreme to say there's no safe level.
There's a safe amount of cyanide (apple seeds), radiation (everywhere), safe speed of a bullet flying at you (if I just throw it gently at you) and so on. Even if the cyanide is technically poisoning you, the radiation from bananas is damaging you and the bullet I threw lightly grazed your skin, it's still safe in practical terms.
The article is actually IMHO overly conservative. This kind of migration is not a theoretical risk, but well established. BPA is a small molecule, not covalently bound to the plastic. It absolutely goes into the skin. Heat, water, and acidity (sweat is slightly acidic) all accelerate the absorption.
Plus absorption through the skin is worse than oral. Because when you eat it your liver breaks a lot of it down. When it goes in the skin it bypasses all that.
Readit News
Does anyone have any other ideas to mitigate exposure?
I guess the proper thing to do would be to use big over-the-ear headphones and cover the cushions with fabric.
Tinfoil is a good alternative, with the added benefit that it can also protect from other things /s
It's also not a new technology you know, it has been used for decades in hearing aids
I'm not worried about bone conduction, I feel that open ear is much safer than closed ear because I can eg hear a smoke alarm or hear a housemate fall and cry out for help. If there were evidence it caused brain damage or something then I would stop using them but I don't think there is. I try to regularly turn my volume down below where I can hear it and then turn it one click up to mitigate damage to my hearing. That's definitely a real risk but that's not specific to bone conduction.
The study names brands like Bose, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sennheiser. What about Apple airpods? Anyone knows what's that made of and if they've got any harmful effects?
But then, I wouldn't worry about headphones at all. You probably sleep on a mattress made from polyurethane foam that contains plasticizers and fire retardants in much greater quantities. The same goes for your car seats, and they off-gas a lot more when parked in the sun. You'd probably need to eat 1,000 earbuds to match that.
AirPods were rated "green" across all three of their test categories.
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How about the running shoes? That must have much more chemicals and adhesives although I don't have data for that.
https://www.thestandard.com.hk/health/article/324892/Europea...
There are options available on major e-commerce sites. The ones I choose have a stainless steel nozzle and are supposed to enhance the sound reproduction.
with rigorous avoidance you can hope to reduce the amount in your body by like ~50% apparently but you can't get rid of it all because it's everywhere. unless you live off grid self-sustained and grow your own vegetables and have no plastic in your environment. so im not sure how much of a concern this study is or not.
"These chemicals are not just additives; they may be migrating from the headphones into our body," said Karolina Brabcová, chemical expert at Arnika. "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, long-term exposures, especially vulnerable groups like teenagers, are of great concern. There is no 'safe' level for endocrine disruptors that mimic our natural hormones."
Can someone knowledgeable comment on this? It seems extreme to say there's no safe level.
There's a safe amount of cyanide (apple seeds), radiation (everywhere), safe speed of a bullet flying at you (if I just throw it gently at you) and so on. Even if the cyanide is technically poisoning you, the radiation from bananas is damaging you and the bullet I threw lightly grazed your skin, it's still safe in practical terms.
Plus absorption through the skin is worse than oral. Because when you eat it your liver breaks a lot of it down. When it goes in the skin it bypasses all that.
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"Hazardous substances found in all headphones tested by ToxFREE project" : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47058426