Member-only story
You Watch Isn’t Poisoning You With PFAS
The science behind some truly ridiculous headlines.
PFAS — a broad term that describes a group of chemicals — are the new villain when it comes to environmental health. There is a story almost every week about some new study that has found PFAS in something. And there are real concerns about these chemicals — they are very persistent in the environment, they have some associations with ill health, and they are quite hard to get rid of which means they get into everything.
The problem with the PFAS story, however, is how overboard much of the concern has gotten. It seems like all you need is to mention that we’re being exposed to PFAS in any amount through any route to get headlines across the world screaming out the danger. The recent hubbub over watch bands is a perfect example. If you believe the Guardian, New York Post, or dozens of other outlets, there is a serious risk to everyone’s health from wearing a plastic watch band.
However, the data is much less worrying than you might’ve heard. It’s possible that you’re getting exposed to PFAS through a watch band, but it’s a much smaller problem than the headlines are suggesting.
The Study
The study in question is a lab-bench piece of research where the authors took watch bands similar…
