> Consoles with built-in RF cables, like the Color TV Game 6, often have scars like this, and it seems particularly common on the Nintendo consoles. This is because the RF cable contains plasticizers to make it more flexible; the problem is, people often wrap cables around the console for convenient storage. This is fine for the short term, but if they’ve been in the closet for almost fifty years, well, you get burns like this or even worse. Be careful how you store these!

Yum endocrine disruptors... I find that when I apply office or duct tape to plastic erasers or PVC cable sleeves, the plastic and glue will "diffuse" into each other, producing a disgusting goop that sticks to fingers and is a pain to clean off. I also know that rubber feet and "soft touch" surfaces can turn into goop over time, but I don't know what process is happening there.

I hear that the plasticizers leaching out of plastic into air (or decomposing) is why old electronics' plastic cases and parts become weak and brittle over decades.