Does your comfortable fluoroelastomer smartwatch band contain toxic chemicals that could transfer through your skin and cause eventual health issues? A scientific study suggests yes, but smartwatch brands like Apple and Google reassured me otherwise — at least about their straps.
Late last year, the nonprofit American Chemical Society posted a damning and concerning report, "Presence of Perfluorohexanoic Acid in Fluoroelastomer Watch Bands," by Wicks et al., suggesting that most common watch bands from the last few years have high levels of PFAS and PFHxA compounds with potential adverse health effects to the liver, thyroid, and other organs, as well as cancer.
