A Fitbit Air user discovered the hard way that the tracker didn’t work.

• Real-world experiment shows insecticides can kill Fitbit Airs
• This is because of the chemicals in the repellent.
• Spray carefully, as you will not be covered under warranty

We at TechRadar were pretty impressed with what the Fitbit Air has to offer, but one unfortunate user found out the hard way that you shouldn’t use bug spray while the fitness tracker is wrapped around your wrist.

The problematic incident was recorded on Reddit (via Phandroid), and it appears that a thorough, protective application of insect repellent ate away at the plastic component of the Fitbit Air, preventing it from working.

“I went hiking this weekend with my Fitbit Air,” the original Reddit post read. “I’ve had it for 14 days now and found out that mosquito repellent would destroy it. I put some on the cuffs of my hiking shirt and it transferred to the device and broke the plastic.”

To make matters worse, the user reports that the same fate befell his wife’s Fitbit (although it’s unclear if it’s also a Fitbit Air). The original post ends with a recommendation to “save your money for something better built.”

Little sympathy

Fitbit Air and Bug Spray don’t mix well with R/Fitbit

Reddit detectives immediately got to work and determined that it was likely the chemical DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) that was causing the problem. It is widely used in insect repellents and is quite harsh on plastics as well as insects.

And sympathy seems to be lacking on the Reddit thread. “The documentation makes it very clear that it should not come into contact with sunscreens and insecticides,” one poster writes, while another says: “It’s yours, buddy.”

Google isn’t particularly sympathetic either, telling the affected user that the damage is considered environmental or accidental damage and is therefore not covered under warranty. No replacement Fitbit Air will be offered in this case.

There have been more stories like this in recent days, so it seems a significant number of people are unaware of the damage insect repellents can cause. As always, always read the fine print, both on your fitness trackers and your mosquito sprays.

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Dave is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based in Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly on phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business during the weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places, in addition to spending many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.