Many Smartwatch Wristbands Hold High Levels of PFAS Forever Chemicals, Study Finds [Video]

Wearable tech devices like fitness trackers and smartwatches have become the constant companions of many who rely on them for alerts, transactions and health and location information day and night.

What wearers of these devices may not know is that many of them contain elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” that may be leaching from the wristbands into their skin, according to a new study.

The researchers found especially high amounts of a particular forever chemical, perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), contained in more expensive fluorinated synthetic rubber wristbands, a press release from the American Chemical Society (ACS) said.

“This discovery stands out because of the very high concentrations of one type of forever chemical found in items that are in prolonged contact with our skin,” said Graham Peaslee, one of the authors of the study and a professor of physics at University of Notre Dame, in the press release.

PFAS are a …