benzene
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Apple bans the use of two potentially harmful chemicals in final device assembly
Apple has banned the use of two potentially harmful chemicals in the final assembly of its devices. This ban was confirmed by vice president of environmental initiatives Lisa Jackson in a statement posted on Apple's Environmental Responsibility website. Recently, we received some questions about whether the chemicals benzene and n-hexane are used in the manufacturing of our products. Apple treats any allegations of unsafe working conditions extremely seriously. We took immediate investigative action, sending specialized teams into each of our 22 final assembly facilities, and found no evidence of workers' health being put at risk. We've updated our tight restrictions on benzene and n-hexane to explicitly prohibit their use in final assembly processes. Apple is requiring its manufacturers to remove the chemicals, benzene and n-hexane, from the assembly process and to test all cleaning agents and degreasers used in the final assembly of devices for these chemicals. The company is working with manufacturers to find safer alternatives. As part of its committment to produce both a safe product and a safe working environment, Apple also is creating a new advisory board to reduce the use of other toxins in its supply chain. [Image from Apple's website]
Mac Pros accused of emitting toxic gas, placing blame on someone else
Just when Apple has started to make some friends at Greenpeace, it looks like another one of its fine products might be a wee bit toxic. According to the French newspaper Liberation, that mysterious stench emanating from your Mac Pro contains benzene -- which can irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Instead of being a mere inconvenience, that smell could be a cloud of poison gas that threatens to dizzy up, nauseate and migraine-ify you and everyone you care for. Apple has yet to issue a statement on any of this, but until it's all straightened out, those of you with the stinky Macs might want to seriously consider wearing a hazmat suit when checking your email.Update: Apple tells Macworld that "We have not found anything that supports this claim, but continue to investigate it for the customer." Funny -- that's exactly what we used to say during long car rides. [Via the Guardian]
