Fitbit recalls 1 million wristbands due to burns and rashes

Fitbit recalls 1 million wristbands due to burns and rashes

Fitbit is recalling one million of its wireless wristband fitness trackers after consumers complained the devices had caused itchy rashes and burn marks. The wristband in question, the Fitbit Force pedometer, is a $130 bracelet that tracks sleep and the nutrition habits. It has racked up more than 10,000 complaints, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

According to the recall notice, the problem is with the wristband's stainless steel casing, which has resulted "in redness, rashes, or blistering where the skin has been in contact with the tracker." Fitbit said it's looking into the problem, while speculating that it might be due to an allergic reaction to the nickel within the steel. The company has stopped selling the item on its website. Victims can contact Fitbit for a different product or refund.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.