ToxicChemicals
Latest
iPhone 5 chemical study shows a green Apple, leaves room for improvement
Eventually, that shiny new iPhone 5 will have to meet its untimely end, whether it's in a landfill or (preferably) a recycling company's machinery. When it does, you'll at least be glad to know that Apple has kept the toxin levels down. HealthyStuff and iFixit have dissected the extra skinny smartphone and put it in the same "low concern" category for potential harm that's normally occupied by phones wearing their green credentials on their sleeves. Lest anyone rush to tell Greenpeace about the feat, just remember that there's a difference between proficiency at excising dangerous chemicals and getting rid of them completely: HealthyStuff still found small traces of bromine, chlorine, lead and mercury in the iPhone 5's construction, which could pose risks if the handset is ever broken apart or melted for scrap. Some concern also exists that the x-ray fluorescence spectrometer doesn't reveal the full extent of any toxic materials. Whether or not these remain sore points for you, the new iPhone is at least easier on the eco-friendly conscience than most of its peers.
Apple OKs independent environmental audits of suppliers
Just yesterday, we reported on Apple's move to renewable energy at the Maiden, North Carolina data center and other facilities. Now USA Today is reporting that Apple has given the green light to begin independent environmental audits of the companies that make up the Apple supply chain. Apple apparently decided to allow the audits after environmental groups including the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs (IPE) documented several hazardous material leaks and the use of toxic chemicals at supplier facilities. According to Ma Jun, the founder of the IPE, Apple's decision came in January as a response to the reports. Ma, who is one of China's leading environmentalists, noted that the audits may begin as early as March and will initially focus on two suppliers although the scope could expand to as many as 14 suppliers. Apple wants to publicize the results of the independent review as soon as the suppliers have been given an opportunity to resolve issues, so the company is expected to disclose the names of those suppliers. Apple has already confirmed that it has contracts with seven suppliers named in IPE reports in 2011: Foxconn Technology, Meiko Electronics, Ibiden Electronics, Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board, Compeq Manufacturing, Wintek, and Unimicron. Gary Liu, the deputy director of the China Europe International Business School's Lujiazui International Finance Research Center, said that Apple's audits are a step in the right direction for Chinese workers and the public. Liu was quoted as saying that "Apple now realizes that its brand name will suffer if it continues to be blind to the misbehaviors" of suppliers.
A new accessory for your iPhone: a NASA-developed chemical sensor
What's better than a handful of sensors for determining if some hostile enemy has set off chemical weapons in a city? How about hundreds of thousands or millions of sensors? If research being done by NASA Ames Research Center under the Cell-All program in the US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate is taken into production, your next smartphone might contain chemical-sensing circuitry. A recent article in OnOrbit described a proof of concept that was developed by Jing Li, a scientist at Ames, and a group of other researchers. In order to test out the tiny nanosensor-based chemical sensing circuitry, Li and his team created a device that plugs into the dock port of an iPhone. To quote the original post, The new device is able to detect and identify low concentrations of airborne ammonia, chlorine gas and methane. The device senses chemicals in the air using a "sample jet" and a multiple-channel silicon-based sensing chip, which consists of 16 nanosensors, and sends detection data to another phone or a computer via telephone communication network or Wi-Fi. A newer version of the sensor has 64 nanosensors built-in and is less than 1 cm on a side. Isn't it cool that your iPhone is getting to be more like a Star Trek tricorder every day? [via Gizmodo]
Costco sells gasoline powered PS3
California is one of our great states that stays abreast of environmental issues and presents propositions to ensure a greener society. One proposition in particular, promotes clean drinking water with legislation to keep toxic chemicals out of consumer products. Well apparently, someone forgot to inform Costco that the PS3 console doesn't use gasoline and is packaged as a solid, which makes it impossible to consume as a liquid or get mixed in with the drinking water. According to this advertisement, Costco has included a reference to California's Proposition 65 in order to inform any prospective PS3 buyer that the console could be toxic because of its use of gasoline, a highly flammable (and not very tasty) fossil fuel. We've looked (twice) and haven't yet found a gas tank or opening marked "fuel" on our PS3. Now, we suppose there might be some funky materials under that sleek hood, but even so, the PS3 doesn't appeal to us as being edible. Anyone else find a gas tank included in their PS3, or dreamt of a PS3 between two slices of rye with lettuce? Please, do tell.[Via digg]
Greenpeace slams Apple, Motorola and Lenovo for toxic chemicals
Late last week, Greenpeace issued its latest "Guide to Greener Electronics," which offers a serious takedown of various tech companies' environmental production practices. The organization judged several tech firms mainly on the criteria of "eliminating hazardous substances" from the production phase, and also offering to take back and recycle older products. Dell and Nokia topped the list, but Apple, Motorola and Lenovo were among the worst, who scored 2.7, 1.7 and 1.3 respectively on Greenpeace's 10-point scale. Lenovo, which placed last among the companies evaluated, was knocked mostly because it hasn't committed to phasing out toxic chemmicals like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardant (BFR) from its product line. Motorola was particularly dinged for its recent broken promise of eliminating PVCs and BFRs from its product line, and not having good enough recycling programs. Apple was guilty of many of the same offenses as Lenovo, according to Greenpeace, but have not committed to a firm timetable for PVC and BFR elimination. According to CNET, both Lenovo and Apple disagree with Greenpeace's assesment, saying that they have strong environmental records and follow worldwide regulations. Perhaps Michael Dell and Jorma Ollila need to have a chat with Steve Jobs, Ed Zander and William Amelio to clear the air, so to speak.[Via CNET]
