Apple’s Watch Bands Safe from ‘Forever Chemicals’

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Following some recent concerns that smartwatch bands may contain high amounts of harmful “forever chemicals,” Apple has issued a statement confirming that its first-party watch bands are completely safe for users to wear.

Earlier this week, we highlighted a study by the University of Notre Dame that revealed how certain smartwatch bands could contain high concentrations of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

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These synthetic compounds are found in many popular consumer products, and they’re typically harmless when they’re contained in things that don’t routinely come into contact with your body or your food. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “many PFAS are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world and are present at low levels in a variety of food products and in the environment.” PFAS also don’t just encompass a single type of substance — there are thousands of chemicals that fall into this category.

However, when it comes to smartwatch bands, those are things that people not only wear all day long, but also frequently sweat into, which could increase the rate at which PFAS are absorbed into your body through your skin. While the University of Notre Dame study found PFAS at unusually high levels in 15 of the 22 watch bands that researchers tested, it didn’t specify which brands were included, much less those that tested positive.

Of course, that didn’t stop overzealous lawyers from launching a class action lawsuit against Apple (via MacRumors and The Register), alleging that the company misleads customers by claiming the Apple Watch has health and wellness benefits while simultaneously exposing them to “harmful toxins” from the watch bands.

The lawsuit specifically targets the Apple Watch Sport Band, Ocean Band, and Nike Sport Band, which list the PFAS fluoroelastomer (FKM) among their specifications. The complaint alleges that those products contain PFAS “at levels that render them an unreasonable safety hazard.”

Apple naturally denies this, and today it issued a statement to several media outlets to clarify this:

Apple Watch bands are safe for users to wear. In addition to our own testing, we also work with independent laboratories to conduct rigorous testing and analysis of the materials used in our products, including Apple Watch bands.

While Apple didn’t deny that some of its watch bands contain PFAS, it notes its testing has concluded that these don’t exist at levels that would be dangerous to consumers.

Nevertheless, Apple has been working to reduce its reliance on PFAS in products. Apple published a document in late 2022 committing to phasing out PFAS in all of its products for both health and environmental reasons and laying out a plan for doing so.

The environmental implications of the use of PFAS are significant, and we’re responding with focus and dedication. We want to thoughtfully phase out PFAS in a way that does not result in regrettable substitutions. We’re prioritizing our phaseout activities on applications that result in the highest volumes of PFAS reductions and the most meaningful environmental impact. It will take time for Apple to completely phase out PFAS from our products and processes because of the challenges related to compiling a comprehensive catalog of PFAS use, identifying and developing non-PFAS alternatives that can meet the performance needs for certain critical applications, and taking into account the time needed for material qualification.

Apple notes that it already proactively eliminated two PFAS members, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in 2010 and 2013, and then restricted its use of perfluorocarboxylic acids C9-C14 (PFCA) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxS) in 2021, along with their salts, and related substances.

The document goes on to explain that it has also assessed fluoropolymers as “the PFAS class with the highest use volume in our products,” and while its “analysis indicated that these materials are safe during product use,” it still aims to “restrict the use of all PFAS compounds” on principle alone.

Apple is going even further in fighting against PFAS, noting that it’s “helping the industry prepare guidance to make it easier for small and medium-size companies to find out where PFAS may be used in components and manufacturing processes in their supply chains.” It’s partnered with NGO ChemSec and other industry associations in both Europe and the US to compile “comprehensive lists of all known uses of PFAS in electronics,” and identify non-PFAS alternatives.



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