Apple Bans Two Chemicals From Production Line

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <header class="story__header" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><div class="story__standfirst" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; margin-bottom: 40px; max-width: 64%;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apple will remove benzene and n-hexande from its final production lines following a campaign from labour activists in China.</span></div> <div class="last-updated" style="bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 40px; max-width: 40%; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: right;"> <div class="last-updated__text" style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px;"> <span class="last-updated__time" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">13:02, UK,</span></span><span class="last-updated__day" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); box-sizing: border-box;"></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span class="last-updated__day" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Thursday 14</span> <span class="last-updated__month-year" style="box-sizing: border-box;">August 2014</span></div> </div> </header><div class="story__content-outer-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; padding: 0px 332px 0px 0px; width: 992px;"> <section class="story__media" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="module module--primary" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 25px; width: 660px;"> <div class="image" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 25px;"> <div class="image__wrapper image__wrapper--16x9" style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 371px; position: relative;"> <img alt="" class="image__item js-responsive" data-breakpoint="" data-sizes="144x81 362x204 762x428 942x530 1600x900" data-sizes-wide="" data-template="http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2014/8/14/329357/default/v1/181205517-1-{width}x{height}.jpg" src="http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2014/8/14/329357/default/v1/181205517-1-1600x900.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(220, 220, 220); box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: 371px; max-width: 100%; page-break-inside: avoid; position: absolute; vertical-align: middle; width: 660px;" /></div> <div class="image__caption" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; min-height: 40px; padding: 10px 8px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apple is changing how it manufactures its popular gadgets</span></div> </div> </div> </section><div class="story__content-wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> <div class="share" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto 4px; max-width: 540px; width: 540px;"> <ul class="share__list" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <li class="share__item" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: left; list-style: none; margin: 0px 16px 16px 0px; padding: 0px; width: 40px;"><a class="share__link js-share" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.sky.com%2Fstory%2F1318533%2Fapple-bans-two-chemicals-from-production-line" style="background-position: 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(220, 220, 220); box-sizing: border-box; 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margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apple is banning two potentially hazardous chemicals from its final assembly process for iPhone and iPad.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It is removing benzene and n-hexande from its production lines following a five-month campaign from labour activists in China.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Benzene is a carcinogen linked to leukaemia when not handled correctly, and n-hexane has been linked to nerve damage.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apple carried out a four-month investigation at 22 factories and did not find any evidence that the chemicals had endangered any of the factories' 500,000 workers.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">No trace of the chemicals was found at 18 of the factories; however four found traces of them at "acceptable safety levels".</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Despite the findings, Apple has asked its suppliers to stop using the chemicals for the final assembly process for iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs and other accessories.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">However, the company will still allow suppliers to use the chemicals in the early production phase of its devices - which takes place at different types of factories - but at a lower level.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Lisa Jackson, Apple vice-president in charge of environmental initiatives, said: "This is doing everything we can think of to do to crack down on chemical exposures and to be responsive to concerns.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"We think it's really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries."</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apple is not alone in using the chemicals – they are key to a number of electronic production processes.</span></div> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 540px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Low levels of benzene are also found in petrol, paint, cigarettes and some detergents.</span></div> <div> <br /></div> </section><section class="partner-links" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: SkyTextRegular, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.625rem; margin: 0px auto 60px; max-width: 540px; overflow: hidden;"><div class="partner-links__external" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </div> </section></div> </div> </div>

Apple Bans Two Chemicals From Production Line

Apple will remove benzene and n-hexande from its final production lines following a campaign from labour activists in China. 13:02, UK,...

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