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Apple Watch Bands Are Safe to Wear, Says Apple, After Lawsuit Filed

Kudos to the legal team for holding Apple to be accountable in evidence-based ways.

Even if PFAS in watch bands are not penetrating into human biology they are clearly bad from a whole lifecycle of the product, in manufacturing (look at all the PFAS polluted water around the Goretex plants currently being examined in courts in MA), and in landfills after they are thrown away.

Any smart, wise, and responsible company must be accountable for the whole lifecycle and impact of its products across environmental, social, and health factors.

We trust Apple more than other companies, but we also need to verify any corporation's claims with evidence and independent examination.

Anyone with kids wearing an Apple watch will especially value this lawsuit.
 
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Never really liked Apple's sport band. I switched to leather. But over time leather develops a funky smell in the hot months when moisture builds up. Got the fabric velcro band with my new watch 10 series, and I love love love the band. Super comfortable, wicks moisture, lightweight, I'll never use anything else.
 
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polyphenol said:
Silicone polymer straps on other products have proved to be horrible. However hard I scrub my wrist and the straps, and with whatever agents, they smell unpleasant. And my skin just doesn't like being covered up like that. So I already knew I didn't want one even if a real Apple strap is better than other products I have used.
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FWIW, only Apple's "Solo Loop" bands are silicone, though of a nicer quality than most silicone products I've run across (it has a better feel to it). Apple's "Sport Band" bands are fluoroelastomer and feel and act quite different than silicone (they're not stretchy at all - that's why Apple went to silicone for the Solo Loop, because it has to stretch over your hand to go on/off). I've never detected an odd smell from any of Apple's watch bands.

Over the years there have been a ton of silicone knockoffs of Apple's fluoroelastomer Sport Bands, coming out of China, and a lot of those have been mediocre - sticky, thin, stretchy, and occasionally odd smelling.

Judging Apple's watch bands based on experiences with other products is a mistake. If you have an Apple Store nearby, it'd be worth stopping by to try out the range of bands and judge them on their own merits - most of the stores have a table with a bunch of watches and watch bands laid out that you can try.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
Glad I use the Trail Loop.
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I have... too many bands for my Apple Watch, but ever since I got a Trail Loop band for it, it's been hard to switch away to any other. It's just so comfy. It's like an upscale version of the Sport Loop, soft, infinitely adjustable, but much sleeker, less like wearing the belt from a bathrobe wrapped around your wrist.
 
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CarlJ said:
I have... too many bands for my Apple Watch, but ever since I got a Trail Loop band for it, it's been hard to switch away to any other. It's just so comfy. It's like an upscale version of the Sport Loop, soft, infinitely adjustable, but much sleeker, less like wearing the belt from a bathrobe wrapped around your wrist.
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I wish they’d make the sport loops the same way. I’d love to get trail loops that fit my 42mm series 10. They’re some of the best bands for the ultra, in my opinion.
 
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ilikewhey said:
i knew switching to the milanese loop was a good choice but now its also a healthy choice
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I wonder if it is. lol I say that as I wear my apple watch with a gold milanese band. The metal is still coated in a layer of stuff to get the color and protect the finish. No idea what's in that.
 
Yeah, Apple also said Siri wasn’t listening in on people and what they’re talking about, etc…
 
CarlJ said:
FWIW, only Apple's "Solo Loop" bands are silicone, though of a nicer quality than most silicone products I've run across (it has a better feel to it). Apple's "Sport Band" bands are fluoroelastomer and feel and act quite different than silicone (they're not stretchy at all - that's why Apple went to silicone for the Solo Loop, because it has to stretch over your hand to go on/off). I've never detected an odd smell from any of Apple's watch bands.

Over the years there have been a ton of silicone knockoffs of Apple's fluoroelastomer Sport Bands, coming out of China, and a lot of those have been mediocre - sticky, thin, stretchy, and occasionally odd smelling.

Judging Apple's watch bands based on experiences with other products is a mistake. If you have an Apple Store nearby, it'd be worth stopping by to try out the range of bands and judge them on their own merits - most of the stores have a table with a bunch of watches and watch bands laid out that you can try.
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I just used "polymer" to cover silicone and fluoroelastomer!

No Apple store in sensible distance. But I have tried them both in a shop and owned by friends. Did not like the feel. And definitely felt similar to the previous non-Apple straps. (Which were not knock-offs - they were genuine for the products they came with. Quite possibly not as good as Apple's own.)

But the Milanese style is absolutely my favourite of all. The only downside being keeping them nice and clean!
 
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Interesting. I have over 30 sport bands I have collected over the last ten years. When that study came out in December, I read it thoroughly and did additional research. While I think it is inconclusive that these bands can be harmful, I decided to stop wearing sport bands. Again I’ve worn these for ten years, and often in extreme cases (hot weather, sweating profusely etc). They are probably safe if worn occasionally but for me, my watch is on my wrist 23 hours a day and I workout everyday. So, selling the collection and sticking with fabric and metal bands for the ultra!
 
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The question is is there a way I can prevent the people filing these lawsuits from getting my contact information from Apple? I swear every time I get included in some class action I get more spam and scams that have the same information that I shared with whatever company that got hit with the class action?
 
As I’m reading the responses on this subject, I didn’t know about PFAS being a forever toxin and will be switching to “Stainless Steel Milanese Loop”. I hope this doesn’t have another material that’s toxic (like the paint).
 
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Hello1111111111 said:
You didn't read (or didn't comprehend) the article. Apple's position as given in the white paper is that Apple bands containing PFAS are safe to wear for users, but that producing and distributing products containing PFAS has harmful effects. This can be, for example, to the environment near production sites. If I'm not mistaken, PFAS are common in things like nonstick pans, where they are extremely stable and unlikely to cause harm under ideal conditions. But in that case, extended or repeated exposure to high heat can denature the pan or scratches can result in PFAS leaching into food. My point is just that it seems reasonable that PFAS in, say, the Sport Band, are exceptionally unlikely to be exposed to the conditions that would make it harmful to users. Although environmentally safer alternatives should of course be used if they exist or can be engineered.
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Double doublespeak. Impressive.

Just an FYI, Apple's position is always going to be: the bands are doing no harm to anyone wearing them.

You might not have known this, or might not have understood it when someone mentioned it to you previously.

But let's all jump to conclusions about what the truth is, before the courts have managed to determine it. Especially if we might sound clever in the process.
 
CarlJ said:
There can be other reasons for phasing them out, things like cost, manufacturing difficulty, exposure during the manufacturing process, etc. You're jumping to a conclusion by asserting those two points are contradictory.
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I think there's a forest over there behind those trees you're looking at.
 
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sdz said:
PFAS is the least critical material... It is the most chemically inert material on earth.
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What a load of tosh.

Some are inert. Most are not, they're very much chemically reactive.

Hence the well documented, studied etc. health risks associated with them.
 
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