Bluetooth headphones should sound good and not cost much – but they shouldn’t endanger your health either. But that’s exactly what Stiftung Warentest warns of. Which headphones you should avoid and which ones convince in the test.
Stiftung Warentest has been testing Bluetooth headphones since 2018, both in-ear models and strap-on headphones. They are very practical because they are wireless – so you can no longer get tangled up while listening to music on the go or during video conferences on a laptop. In addition, many models deliver a good sound and do not cost much.
But no matter whether bargains or expensive: In some Bluetooth headphones, the testers found something terrifying – namely high concentrations of substances that damage the genetic material and are considered harmful to health.
Aldi bargains in the test: carcinogenic substances
JBL headphones are very popular – including the Bluetooth version. They have been available from Aldi Nord and Süd since the middle of the month, for only around 60 euros. But Stiftung Warentest warns before the special offer:
The headphones did well in the hearing test, but the testers found very large amounts of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) benzo in the ear pads[g,h,i]perylene. Stiftung Warentest warns that the substance has been shown to have mutagenic effects in animal experiments. Some PAHs are even considered carcinogenic. In the test, the Bluetooth headphones failed with “poor”.
The Federal Environment Agency also warned 2016 before PAKs. The substances pose a danger not only to our health but also to the environment because they are poorly biodegradable and can accumulate in nature and in organisms.
Pollutants: These headphones are also “deficient”
Not only cheap Bluetooth headphones can be of concern – two more expensive models from Philipps also failed in the pollutant tests by Stiftung Warentest. The Bluetooth headphones with bracket, model TAPH802 BK / 00 (approx. 120 euros) and TAPH805BK / 00 (approx. 136 euros), contained very high amounts of naphthalene in the ear and head pads.
Naphthalene is also a PAH, which according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) can lead to skin reactions in large quantities. It is considered to be acutely toxic and presumably carcinogenic.
However, PAHs in Bluetooth headphones are not uncommon: many more of these models scored “sufficient” in the pollutant test in 2020 because they contained increased amounts of the pollutant:
- Pioneer SE-S6BN (about 116 euros)
- JBL Club 700BT (about 147 euros)
- JBL Tune 750BTNC (about 125 euros)
- JBL Live 650BTNC (approx. 134 euros)
By the way: Even if Bluetooth is practical: The Federal Office for Radiation Protection recommends cable connections if you can do without wireless technology. Most headsets should not exceed maximum values. You can find more information in the information sheet.
Are there any better alternatives?
If you want to buy Bluetooth headphones, you should choose a model with a better result: In the pollutant test by Stiftung Warentest, for example, the “Momentum Wireless (3rd generation)” model from Sennheiser (around 365 euros) rated “very good” from. The Bluetooth headphones were also convincing in the sound test; overall, they achieved a “good”.
A little cheaper, but still low in pollutants: the in-ear version of the same brand “CX 350BT” (around 86 euros), which achieved a “good” overall.
Tip: You can find out how to dispose of electrical devices such as old headphones sustainably here: Disposing of electronic waste: What you need to know now – 10 tips
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