Apple Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Potentially Harmful Chemicals in Watch Bands
Apple Inc. is currently embroiled in a class-action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of hiding the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals in select Apple Watch bands. Nevertheless, Apple maintains that these bands pose no risk to users.
Lawsuit Details Initiated by Recent Research
On Tuesday, a legal complaint was lodged against Apple in California’s Northern District, as first reported by The Register. This apple-strikes-a-95-million-deal-to-resolve-siri-privacy-controversy/” title=”Apple Strikes a Million Deal to Resolve Siri Privacy Controversy!”>lawsuit alleges that certain bands designed for the Apple Watch—specifically the Sport Band, Nike Sport Band, and Ocean Band—exhibit elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
As claimed in the lawsuit, Apple’s characterization of these products being made from fluoroelastomer carries implications that it intentionally obscures information about PFAS—a chemical compound associated with various health risks.
Research Findings Contributing to Legal Action
This legal action follows new findings published by researchers at the University of Notre Dame last December. Their extensive examination involved 22 different fitness tracker and smartwatch bands, revealing that 15 contained PFAS.
Among those identified with high PFAS concentrations were nine exhibiting alarmingly elevated amounts of perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA). Although specific brands—including Apple—were not named directly within this study, it pointed out a tendency for higher-priced watchbands (those retailing above $15) to contain increased levels of PFHxA.
Apple’s Response to Allegations
In light of this unfolding situation, Apple provided an official response on Thursday affirming its stance regarding product safety. The company reiterated: “Our analysis shows that Apple Watch bands are safe for consumer use. Alongside our internal evaluations, we engage independent laboratories to perform thorough testing on all materials utilized across our products.”
Company’s Plans Regarding PFAS Elimination
Having been aware for some time concerning issues surrounding PFAS substances, Apple is committed to phasing them out from their products entirely. In its November 2022 report addressing these concerns and alternatives under development…
Recent Actions:
- The company has successfully banned perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) since 2010 and 2013 respectively.
- In addition, restrictions were implemented on several other harmful compounds like C9-C14 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCA) including related substances as well as perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxS).
The Nature and Impact of PFAS Compounds
A Growing Concern:Mainly composed of over 14 thousand synthetic chemicals created for resistance against water—as well as oil or heat—PFAS have been integrated into various consumer goods since their introduction around the mid-twentieth century..
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