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WWW.DIGITALTRENDS.COMNew research finds that your smartwatch band is laced with toxic forever chemicalsTable of ContentsTable of ContentsThis is a serious threatExpensive is not always goodJust over a year ago, a study published in the Advances in Infectious Diseases journal detailed that 95% of the wearable straps for smartwatches and fitness bands were infected with different kinds of harmful bacteria.Now, another research published in a reputed journal has revealed an even more sinister trend in straps sold for wrist-worn smart wearables. The paper, published in the ACS Environmental Science & Technology Letters, highlights the presence of perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) in fluoroelastomer bands offered by various top brands.Recommended VideosThe bands tested as part of the chemical analysis include those offered by big names like Google, Samsung, Apple, Fitbit, and CASETiFY. Interestingly, Samsung and Apple both sell watch bands made out of fluoroelastomers, the core problematic chemical at the center of the research, and even mention its benefits on their websites.Please enable Javascript to view this contentThe research paper raises concern about the very high concentration of PFHxA that can be readily extracted from the surfaces of watch bands made from fluoroelastomers. The more worrisome part is that people wear these smart devices for more than daytime activities.RelatedNOTE: The American Chemical Society (ACS) provided Digital Trends with a copy of the research paper and the supporting information covering the test protocol and analysis methodology for their assessment.As features like sleep-quality monitoring and sleep apnea detection enter the mainstream, people are supposed to wear them even while sleeping. Wearing these items for more than 12 hours per day poses an opportunity for significant transfer to the dermis and subsequent human exposure, surmises the research team.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsThe research highlights how multiple straps were advertised to sports and fitness enthusiasts, which means they are worn during exercise. It could lead to increased sweat contact and open skin pores.Apple, Samsung, and Google sell bands made out of fluoroelastomers.Thats concerning because related research suggests that a staggering 50% of PFHxA exposure is absorbed through the skin, and over a third enters the bloodstream. One study reported PFHxA was the third highest PFAS concentration measured in whole blood samples, says the research team.PFHxAs fall in a particularly dangerous class of chemicals known as forever chemicals, and have gained the infamous name because they persist and avoid the regular cycle of environmental breakdown. Whats worrisome is that their detrimental impact is yet to be explored fully.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsA frequent presence in everything from cosmetics and cookware to clothing and electronics, they have been used for decades in consumer as well as industrial items, particularly owing to their resilience against heat, water, oil, and grease exposure. However, in recent years, their destructive impact has gained widespread recognition.A significant percentage could pass through human skin under normal conditions.Forever chemicals have been linked to a wide range of health issues, including cancer, and their presence has been documented in potable water supplies, soil, and even food items. As per the United States Environmental Protection Agency, PFHxA is one of the breakdown outcomes of per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).Apple sells watch bands made out of fluoroelastomers. Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsAs part of the research, the team focused on fluoroelastomers, which are essentially a class of synthetic rubbers made from PFAS, looking for the presence of fluorine and over a dozen other harmful chemicals. Interestingly, the more expensive bands exhibited a stronger presence of harmful chemicals than the cheaper ones.Of the 22 bands and straps analyzed by the team, all the fluoroelastomer bands showed the presence of fluorine. Interestingly, bands that were not even explicitly made out of fluoroelastomer revealed the presence of fluorine, which is a strong sign of PFAS presence.A subsequent chemical extraction process revealed the presence of PFHxA as the most common forever chemical in nine out of the 22 straps. On average, the PFHxA concentration came in at 800 parts per billion (ppb), which is four times higher than cosmetics. In one case, the concentration was as high as 16,000 parts per billion (ppb).As per the research team, the high levels of PFHxA detected in the wristbands may be due to the use of this compound as a surfactant during the fluoroelastomer manufacturing process.A high portion of these chemicals pass through the skin, and enter the bloodstream.Alyssa Wicks, co-author of the research paper, recommends that customers should focus on lower-priced bands for their smartwatches and fitness bands if they seek to avoid PFHxA exposure.If the consumer wishes to purchase a higher-priced band, we suggest that they read the product descriptions and avoid any that are listed as containing fluoroelastomers, Wicks was quoted as saying. She suggests that the next time you go shopping for straps and bands, look for the word fluoroelastomer and avoid them, if possible.Editors Recommendations0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 149 Views
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WWW.DIGITALTRENDS.COMSave 50% on QuickBooks Online to manage your small business like a bossTable of ContentsTable of ContentsHow QuickBooks can help you with your small businessWho should use QuickBooks?Right now, you can save 50% on QuickBooks Online. That means, instead of $35 per month, youll pay $17.50 per month for the first three months of service. The powerful accounting software from Intuit can streamline your small business financial tasks. If you dont have an accountant or bookkeeper on retainer, its your next best thing to use for invoicing, expense tracking, and tax prepjust to name a few. The platform, which is available in desktop or cloud-based versions, can also help you get organized while assessing where your business stands. No shoebox of receipts and spreadsheets that require manual upkeep required!How QuickBooks can help you with your small businessIf you havent used QuickBooks yet, here are the different ways it can enhance your business operations:Bookkeeping: QuickBooks can automate many of the manual processes involved in bookkeeping (like recording transactions, categorizing expenses, and reconciling accounts).Tracking Cash Flow: The software offers real-time tracking of income and expenses, so you can monitor your cash flow as if you have a finance team on staff. You can also connect your bank accounts and credit cards directly to QuickBooks so transactions can be logged automatically (and accurately!). It can also provide financial reports (such as profit and loss statements).Invoicing: QuickBooks allows you to create and send invoices and estimates to clients, partners, and customers. It can also track payments, so you can follow up with customers if they need a nudge.Handling Payroll and Taxes: The payroll feature on QuickBooks simplifies paying employees and contractors, calculating wages, and filing taxes. Compliance and tax regulations are woven through the platform, so you can accurately calculate, collect, and file sales tax when the time comes. to use QuickBooks if you need the above accounted for in your business operations. In addition to the tasks it can perform, you can also use the reports and insights it provides to make informed decisions.RelatedWho should use QuickBooks?If you have your own small business and need to streamline accounting tasks but dont have the skill set to do it or a budget to hire an accountant, QuickBooks is a great solution for your financial needs.Freelancers, consultants, and entrepreneurs who work on their own can also find a lot of use for QuickBooks.And overall, whether youre operating a small business or working a solo contributor, if you want to stay compliant with tax laws and get ahead of the game come tax season, a comprehensive tool like QuickBooks can be beneficial.Editors Recommendations0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 146 Views
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WWW.WSJ.COMAAR to Pay Over $55 Million to Resolve Probes Over Foreign Corruption SchemesThe aviation services company, which obtained profits of nearly $24 million as a result of the schemes, entered into an 18-month non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department.0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 138 Views
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WWW.WSJ.COMThousands of Amazon Workers Strike During Pre-Christmas RushThe action comes over contract negotiations and the companys refusal to recognize the Teamsters labor union.0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 140 Views
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WWW.WSJ.COMFormula One Owner Liberty Medias Bid for MotoGP Faces In-Depth EU ProbeThe European Commission launched an in-depth investigation into Formula One owner Liberty Medias planned bid for Dorna Sports over concerns the deal could hurt competition in broadcasting and streaming markets.0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 141 Views
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WWW.WSJ.COMThe Room Next Door Review: Pedro Almodvars Drama of DeathTilda Swinton and Julianne Moore star in the Spanish directors first English-language feature, following two old friends as one is dying of cancer.0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 142 Views
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WWW.WSJ.COMThe Clock in the Sun Review: Get to Know Ol SolThe sun was once personified as a god, a symbol of a perfect cosmos. The occasional detection of dark blemishes was unsettling.0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 123 Views
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WWW.WSJ.COMThe Brutalist Review: Greatness, Explored and ExemplifiedAdrien Brody and Guy Pearce star in director Brady Corbets epic drama about a Hungarian Jewish architect and the wealthy American who enlists him for a monumental project.0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 124 Views
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ARSTECHNICA.COMWere about to fly a spacecraft into the Sun for the first timeSome like it hot Were about to fly a spacecraft into the Sun for the first time "Quite simply, we want to find the birthplace of the solar wind." Eric Berger Dec 19, 2024 6:02 pm | 31 A rendering of the Parker Solar Probe with a Santa hat. Credit: NASA/Aurich Lawson A rendering of the Parker Solar Probe with a Santa hat. Credit: NASA/Aurich Lawson Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreTwas the night before Christmas, when all through the Solar cycle,Not a sunspot was stirring, not even a burst;The stockings were all hung by the corona with care,In hopes that the Parker Solar Probe would soon be there.Almost no one ever writes about the Parker Solar Probe anymore.Sure, the spacecraft got some attention when it launched. It is, after all, the fastest moving object that humans have ever built. At its maximum speed, goosed by the gravitational pull of the Sun, the probe reaches a velocity of 430,000 miles per hour, or more than one-sixth of 1 percent the speed of light. That kind of speed would get you from New York City to Tokyo in less than a minute.And the Parker Solar Probe also has the distinction of being the first NASA spacecraft named after a living person. At the time of its launch, in August 2018, physicist Eugene Parker was 91 years old.But in the six years since the probe has been zipping through outer space and flying by the Sun? Not so much. Let's face it, the astrophysical properties of the Sun and its complicated structure are not something that most people think about on a daily basis.However, the smallish probeit masses less than a metric ton, and its scientific payload is only about 110 pounds (50 kg)is about to make its star turn. Quite literally. On Christmas Eve, the Parker Solar Probe will make its closest approach yet to the Sun. It will come within just 3.8 million miles (6.1 million km) of the solar surface, flying into the solar atmosphere for the first time.Yeah, it's going to get pretty hot. Scientists estimate that the probe's heat shield will endure temperatures in excess of 2,500 Fahrenheit (1,371 C) on Christmas Eve, which is pretty much the polar opposite of the North Pole.Going straight to the sourceI spoke with the chief of science at NASA, Nicky Fox, to understand why the probe is being tortured so. Before moving to NASA headquarters, Fox was the project scientist for the Parker Solar Probe, and she explained that scientists really want to understand the origins of the solar wind.This is the stream of charged particles that emanate from the Sun's outermost layer, the corona. Scientists have been wondering about this particular mystery for longer than half a century, Fox explained."Quite simply, we want to find the birthplace of the solar wind," she said.Way back in the 1950s, before we had satellites or spacecraft to measure the Sun's properties, Parker predicted the existence of this solar wind. The scientific community was pretty skeptical about this ideamany ridiculed Parker, in factuntil the Mariner 2 mission started measuring the solar wind in 1962.As the scientific community began to embrace Parker's theory, they wanted to know more about the solar wind, which is such a fundamental constituent of the entire Solar System. Although the solar wind is invisible to the naked eye, when you see an aurora on Earth, that's the solar wind interacting with Earth's magnetosphere in a particularly violent way.Only it isexpensive to build a spacecraft that can get to the Sun. And really difficult, too.Now, you might naively think that it's the easiest thing in the world to send a spacecraft to the Sun. After all, it's this big and massive object in the sky, and it's got a huge gravitational field. Things should want to go there because of this attraction, and you ought to be able to toss any old thing into the sky, and it will go toward the Sun. The problem is that you don't actually want your spacecraft to fly into the Sun or be going so fast that it passes the Sun and keeps moving. So you've got to have a pretty powerful rocket to get your spacecraft in just the right orbit.Thats a dynamic spacecraftAnd then you've got to have a pretty sophisticated spacecraft that can survive flying into the atmosphere of a star. Because it's super hot and there's this hellish radiation all around, not to mention plasma.But you can't get around the fact that to observe the origin of the solar wind, you've got to get inside the corona. Fox explained that it's like trying to understand a forest by looking in from the outside. One actually needs to go into the forest and find a clearing. However, we can't really stay inside the forest very longbecause it's on fire.So, the Parker Solar Probe had to be robust enough to get near the Sun and then back into the coldness of space. Therein lies another challenge. The spacecraft is going from this incredibly hot environment into a cold one and then back again multiple times."If you think about just heating and cooling any kind of material, they either go brittle and crumble, or they may go like elastic with a continual change of property," Fox said. "Obviously, with a spacecraft like this, you can't have it making a major property change. You also need something that's lightweight, and you need something that's durable."The science instruments had to be hardened as well. As the probe flies into the Sun there's an instrument known as a Faraday cup that hangs out to measure ion and electron fluxes from the solar wind. Unique technologies were needed. The cup itself is made from sheets of Titanium-Zirconium-Molybdenum, with a melting point of about 4,260 Fahrenheit (2,349 C). Another challenge came from the electronic wiring, as normal cables would melt. So, the team at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and NASA grew sapphire crystal tubes to suspend the wiring and made the wires from niobium.Anyway, all that is to say, it took a lot of time, money, and technological breakthroughs in exotic materials to get a spacecraft that was up to the task. And on Christmas Eve, we're finally going to see what the Parker Solar Probe has got.Eric BergerSenior Space EditorEric BergerSenior Space Editor Eric Berger is the senior space editor at Ars Technica, covering everything from astronomy to private space to NASA policy, and author of two books: Liftoff, about the rise of SpaceX; and Reentry, on the development of the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon. A certified meteorologist, Eric lives in Houston. 31 Comments0 Commentarii 0 Distribuiri 125 Views