Dave Horvath
16 Oct 2007 15:32
The latest round of lawsuits to hit the Cupertino California based Apple include an interesting angle from studies performed by Greenpeace, the environmental group. Their studies show that the plastics used in Apple's iPhone contain a reproductive toxin and carcinogenic known as phthalates.
According to California's Proposition 65, products containing reproductive toxins must either be taken off the market or issued with a warning label stating they can potentially cause cancer. This lawsuit and report stems from studies on the plastics used in the vinyl plastic earphone wiring.
"This isn't a toy. But the overall exposure of the public in general is a problem, especially for children," said Rick Hind, legislative director for Greenpeace's toxics campaign. "It's a reproductive hazard. It could be a kidney hazard."
Apple has 60 days to respond to the lawsuit and has yet to comment on the issues at hand. This lawsuit comes at a time when Apple was just jumping on the environmental bandwagon. Earlier they had faced issues with Trillium Asset Management in which they were persuaded to produce a company wide environmental policy.
Source:
San Jose Mercury