Smartwatch and fitness tracker straps from popular brands contain high concentrations of toxic chemicals also known as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl compounds). These synthetic substances practically do not decompose in the natural environment, which is why they are often called “forever chemicals.”
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PFAS are used in the production of a variety of consumer products, including nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, carpets, mattresses, and cling film. They are also used in the production of textiles, building materials, and furniture. They protect industrial equipment from corrosion and thermal damage and are therefore used in jet engines, electric vehicles, refrigeration systems and semiconductors. However, PFAS are believed to cause health problems: autoimmune and cancer diseases, thyroid and liver diseases, infertility, kidney dysfunction, hypertension and others. These chemicals can leach into water, soil and food.
A new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters found that smartwatch and fitness tracker straps made from fluoroelastomers (rubber) contain very high concentrations of the “forever chemical” perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA). The substance is dangerous in high concentrations.
The researchers were able to easily extract the chemical from the surface of 22 straps from different brands at different price points. Researchers note that PFAS in watch bands can be absorbed into the skin through watch straps. The analysis found that most of the straps containing the chemical were advertised as solutions for “sports and fitness,” which involves “additional contact of the substance with sweat and open skin pores,” the study authors noted.
According to Graham F. Peaslee, a physicist at the University of Notre Dame and lead author of the study, experts didn’t think to look for PFAS in smart watch bands until they saw an advertisement for a fluoroelastomer watch band. Upon closer analysis, the scientists were surprised to find large amounts of the “forever chemical” PFHxA. In the straps studied, its PFHxA concentration was almost 800 ppb, and in one they found more than 16,000 ppb. The authors note that the maximum permissible concentration of PFHxA in drinking water for the same state of Michigan is 400 ppb.
«This was unique in the sense that this was the first time we had detected just one PFAS, and that it was present [in the straps] at such high concentrations—much higher than we typically find in consumer products,” Peasley said.
Several major smartwatch and fitness tracker manufacturers, including Apple, Huawei, Samsung and Google, offer fluoroelastomer bands due to their durability. Because the full extent of the potential health risks posed by the chemicals in these straps remains unclear, the researchers are calling on the scientific community to further study these materials.
At the same time, experts recommend that consumers abandon such straps and opt for solutions based on alternative materials that do not use fluoroelastomers. Most brands that sell fluoroelastomer watch bands mention this on their websites. The main problem is that bands made from this material are specifically designed to be water and sweat resistant, making them an obvious choice for those who prioritize these characteristics in their watch and tracker straps. This makes it difficult to stop using them.