Greenpeace to show up at Euro iPhone debut

Greenpeace is planning a rally during Apple's launch of the iPhone in Europe to protest the use of alleged toxic chemicals in the device, including brominated flame retardants. The environmental group claims that tests conducted by its UK labs reveal the presence of PVCs and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), both potentially dangerous compounds. Of 18 internal and external parts, half of them are said to contain brominated material, including the antenna. The PVC in the headphone cables, meanwhile, contains toxic forms of phthalates, chemicals used to increase the flexibility of plastic.

Zeina Alhajj, campaign co-ordinator for Greenpeace, told EE Times "The iPhone is a unique product and for us it is a missed opportunity for Apple to combine the innovation of the product with a green performance," adding "If Apple really wants to reinvent the phone, it needs to design out all hazardous substances and materials from its handsets and peripherals."

After Greenpeace's initial complaints about the iPHone, the Center for Environmental Health announced that it is suing Apple over its iPhone cellular handset based on California's Proposition 65 law. The law requires companies to place a warning label on any product that can expose consumers to phthaltes, reproductive toxins, or carcinogens. Apple's iPhone carries no such label, despite a recent promise to improve its manufacturing methods by abandoning harmful substances over time.

When the iPhone launches in the United Kingdom on November 9th, it will be preloaded with a new version of the firmware -- 1.1.2.

Filed under: Apple