Apple Fans Shocked Over Chemical Warning

By MATTHEW PHELAN SENIOR SCIENCE REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Apple fans are shocked after learning a device sold by the tech giant contains chemicals known to cause birth defects and cancer.

The $100 Belkin BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Charging Power Bank features a warning on Apple's page for the accessory, hidden at the bottom, that is required by California state regulators due to its hazardous content.

"California has mandated that the product carry a warning alerting consumers that this wireless charger can 'expose you to chemicals including Bisphenol A (BPA).'"

BPA, a chemical commonly used to help harden plastics, is known to disrupt hormones in the body, causing fertility issues, sexual development and other problems.

"The warning is due to California's Proposition 65, passed in 1986, which has long required companies to alert consumers to the risks of BPA in their products."

The warning has left nervous Apple fans asking: 'Should I be worried about this?'

Belkin's Apple-approved wireless charger joins the growing ranks of consumer goods tainted by this hormone-mimicking chemical, including everything from water bottles and trash bags, to tableware, carpeting and more.

"Holding the case with sweaty hands could lead to absorbing some," one consumer advocate warned a nervous Apple customer online.

While Prop65 is the strongest such law in the US, it is modest compared to regulations in Europe where BPA is banned in food packaging marketed for use by young children -- with a total ban now up for debate on the continent.

"Studies since at least 2018 using cultures of human skin cells have shown that as much as 16-20 percent of BPA shedded from a consumer product can become absorbed via contact with human skin."

"BPA is potentially capable of causing adverse health effects following skin contact," according to an analysis by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Other Apple accessories have also concerned consumers over identical notices warning of BPA content. Nervous consumers have hotly debated these warnings online.

'You can absolutely absorb BPA through your skin,' one said. 'If you don't know what you're talking about please just don't say anything.'

The device houses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery used to extend an iPhone's battery life. Even industry's suggested alternatives for BPA -- bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) -- behave almost identically according to scientists who have investigated this issue.

'The use of these bisphenols should be discontinued due to risks they may pose,' said biochemist José Villalaín from Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche in Spain. Villalaín published his findings in September's Journal of Xenobiotics.

Some users are frustrated over differences between US regulations on these chemicals versus stricter protections overseas. One Reddit user lamented: