Apple announced on Wednesday that they were banning the use of two potentially health-damaging chemicals used in the final assembly of their iPhones.
This statement is part of Apple's commitment to protect their factory workers from being exposed to benzene and n-hexane chemicals. The decision came five months after activists groups, including Green America and China Labor Watch, created a petition pushing the Cupertino, California-based company to cease the use of such hazardous chemicals.
Benzene is a flammable liquid chemical known to increase cancer risk and cause poisoning when inhaled. It is often used to manufacture plastics and also found in gasoline and other fuel products. N-hexane, on the other hand, is a chemical made from crude oil mixed with solvents. It can cause nerve damage and paralysis when inhaled.
Apple launched a four-month probe in their 22 factories, which contain approximately 500,000 employees. During the investigation, eighteen factories were cleared, but four showed indications of these chemicals, but were within safety levels, according to the Associated Press.
After the probe, Apple resolved to ban these chemicals in the production of their devices. They also required all factories to examine the products first if they bear traces of n-hexane or benzene. However, the company will still use these chemicals in the early steps of the production of their devices, but pledged to reduce the amount of n-hexane and benzene present in the raw materials used in their plants.
"This is doing everything we can think of to do to crack down on chemical exposures and to be responsive to concerns," Apple's vice president of environmental initiatives, Lisa Jackson, told the Associated Press. "We think it's really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries."
The factories affected by these revised guidelines are all based in China and being operated by third party operators. Activists groups singled out the factories for harsh and inhumane labor conditions. Apple quickly denied these allegations and stated that their periodic evaluations showed that the factories in China and other locations overseas are within the standard of labor practices.
