Apple Watch, Fitbit wristbands carry shocking levels of bacteria: experts - New York Post
You may be counting your steps, but these scientists are counting your bacteria.
Nearly all Apple Watches and Fitbits are covered in harmful bacteria, warned a study recently published in the science journal Advances in Infectious Diseases.
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) tested plastic, rubber, cloth, leather and metal (gold and silver) wristbands in search of a correlation between the material of the wristband and bacteria build-up.
They found that 95% of wristbands were contaminated with some kind of dangerous bacteria.
Specifically, 85% were found with Staphylococcus spp — which causes staph infections — while 60% had E. coli bacteria and 30% carried potentially deadly Pseudomonas spp.
These bacteria can lead to a wide variety of clinical maladies including pneumonia and blood infections.
About 229 million people wear Apple Watches, according to Business of Apps, while Fitbit boasted 120 million registered users as of 2022, Business of Apps also reported.
Millions of smartwatch users wear their gadgets every day — whether it be to monitor their sleep, record their workouts, improve their overall health or simply remind them to stand up.
Ironically, they're actually carrying around gross amounts of harmful germs if not sanitized properly.
And few do clean them, apparently.
Anna Coffey, 34, is one of those people. The avid runner and Chelsea resident has worn her Fitbit practically 24/7 for the past 2½ years and works out about five days a week.
"I never take it off unless charging, which is, like, once a week," she told The Post.
She's also never washed it.
"It looks very clean, so I didn't really think about doing it or think it was necessary," she confessed.
Some smartwatch wearers are perhaps a bit more clean — but not by much.
Nadine de Vries, 31, has worn her Apple Watch nearly every day since she purchased it in 2019. She runs around Chelsea and does strength training about three to five times a week and only takes her watch off to sleep.
"I clean it rarely. Maybe twice a year I will wash the bands in soapy water and wipe the inside where the bands click in, but very rarely," she admitted to The Post.
Participants who wore their watches during workouts showed the highest levels of bacteria —Staphylococcal specifically — reinforcing the importance of cleaning the product after any rigorous activity.
While activity levels correlated with bacterial growth, the biggest predictor of bacteria was the texture of the wristband material.
Rubber and plastic wristbands were found to have higher bacterial counts, while metal ones — particularly gold and silver — had little to no bacteria.
"On the average," the authors wrote, "the trend of bacteria load was cloth ≥ plastic ≥ rubber ≥ leather > metal."
The researchers explained that plastic and rubber wristbands provide an ideal environment for germs to gather, as the porous and static surfaces tend to attract and allow bacterial growth.
There was no noticeable difference when the watches were worn by different genders.
"The quantity and taxonomy of bacteria we found on the wristbands show that there is a need for regular sanitation of these surfaces," senior author Nwadiuto Esiobu, Ph.D. told FAU News Desk. "Even at relatively low numbers, these pathogens are of public health significance."
He noted that active, gym-going healthcare workers should be most cautious about sanitizing their watches to avoid possibly infecting at-risk patients.
The researchers also tested the effectiveness of cleaning products by comparing Lysol Disinfectant Spray, 70% ethanol — which is commonly used in hospitals and for alcohol wipes — and apple cider vinegar.
Findings from the study showed that Lysol Disinfectant Spray and 70% ethanol were highly effective on all materials, killing 99.99% of bacteria within 30 seconds, while apple cider vinegar was not as successful and required a full two minutes to reduce the bacterial count.
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