VINYL: Maybe it's time we had an intervention.
Benn JordanCited 6× on HN, 2019-2025
288K views · 7 years ago · commentary · evergreen
Benn Jordan measures air quality around vinyl records with a pollution meter and finds high particulate and VOC levels. He argues vinyl should be modernized.
Cited as the source for claims that PVC records outgas harmful compounds, usually in vinyl revival threads.
1:18:57Why Air Quality Matters
David Heinemeier Hansson
40K views • 8 years ago
17:08We Went to the Town Elon Musk Is Poisoning
More Perfect Union
4.3M views • 1 year ago
22:24Plastics: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
LastWeekTonight
4.6M views • 5 years ago
5:31The hidden background noise that can catch criminals
Tom Scott
5.8M views • 4 years ago
27:11The Art Of Poison-Pilling Music Files
Benn Jordan
1.1M views • 1 year ago
29:05Datacenters Behaving Like Acoustic Weapons
Benn Jordan
1.8M views • 8 months ago
23:53D/A and A/D | Digital Show and Tell (Monty Montgomery @ xiph.org)
FL Studio
647K views • 13 years ago
1:14:31What Microplastics Are Doing to the Brain, Body, and Reproductive Systems
FoundMyFitness
104K views • 2 years ago
22:46Cassettes - better than you don't remember
Techmoan
2.8M views • 10 years ago
3:52Are You Eating a Credit Card Every Week?
vlogbrothers
256K views • 4 years ago
2:00Shouting in the Datacenter
Bryan Cantrill
5.7M views • 17 years ago
1:54The Loudness War
Matt Mayfield Music
2.7M views • 20 years ago
12:41My Video Got 2 Companies Shut Down! (And even worse negative ion products)
The Thought Emporium
5.6M views • 5 years ago
38:01I published music on Tidal to test MQA - MQA Review
GoldenSound
610K views • 5 years ago
8:46Awesome flesh-burning death lamp. (Germicidal UV)
bigclivedotcom
1.5M views • 8 years ago
14:28A Scientist Spilled 2 Drops Organic Mercury On Her Hand. This Is What Happened To Her Brain.
Chubbyemu
15.8M views • 8 years ago
9:51Comparing Beta & VHS on Quality: Was Beta Really Better?
Technology Connections
710K views • 9 years ago
53:16Plastic Wars (full documentary) | FRONTLINE
FRONTLINE PBS | Official
2.4M views • 6 years ago
5:51This Is Your Brain On Stale Air
Tom Scott
4.2M views • 7 years ago
44:40MiniDisc - An Appreciation
Techmoan
2.2M views • 9 years ago
6 comments from Hacker News
Books don't give us cancer like records do. Unfortunately, the PVC used will off-gas even when they're not being played[1], so this even applies to the 48%[2] of record buyers who never play them. [1] ▶ this video [2] link
> As far as I know vinyl is toxic ▶ this video "Vinyl: Maybe it's time we had an intervention" by Benn Jordan. tl;dw: He puts a VOC meter to a vinyl record and yep they're definitely toxic. Remember, if you smell something, it's going inside your body. That includes "new plastic smell", farts, etc. > This is just my objective opinion based on a whole lotta research... if you're an avid vinyl collector whose pee-pee hurts after watching this video, understand that my pee-pee hurts a whole lot more.
Re: vinyl records Has anyone proven / disproven Benn Jordan's video about why vinyl is basically poisonous? ▶ this video I haven't watched it for a while but the summary is: - Vinyl records outgas harmful things that you can detect with air quality meters. (VOCs I think) - You can't dispose of them because they can't be recycled and aren't supposed to go in landfills. So buying new records from new bands violates the "reduce, reuse, recycle" principle "It's just that it's _so_ lame and uncool to shit on vinyl..." "This is just my objective opinion based on a whole lotta research... If you're an avid collector whose peepee hurts after watching this video, understand that my peepee hurts a whole lot more."
There is a bit of a sad downside to vinyl: it seems to release toxic chemicals into the air where its being played or even just stored [0]. I hope there are ways to find alternative materials because I thoroughly enjoy the medium overall. [0] ▶ this video
I just watched the GP video, and science does seem to support that vinyl records are likely dangerous. The video creator uses an air pollution meter[0] to find out that his records are causing very high PM 2.5, VOC, and formaldehyde. The vinyl records seem to only need to be taken out of their sleeves. The results look shocking. There have to be some HN users who have the knowledge and equipment to attempt to replicate this experiment. Please do that and share! [0] ▶ this video
So I've been thinking a lot about this video recently: ▶ this video It talks about, demonstrates and measures the air quality around vinyl. Apparently the things are leaching dangerous compounds into the air constantly, especially when being played. It made his air quality measuring device give an alarm, instead of just reporting the number of particles or something. I'm not sure, maybe it's just one of those thousands of every day life things which are technically carcinogenic, or not. It made me pause personally though, having recently lost a friend, who worked at a record store, died at a young age to cancer, had otherwise always been a strong healthy man. I'm actually more comfortable talking about this here, semi-anonymously, I don't think it'd be wise to bring this up IRL with anyone, on account of it possibly not having to do with anything. I kind of half-wish I hadn't seen the video.