Thursday, November 8,2007 @ 11:10am
CEH also claims iPhone breaks California law
The Center for Environmental Health, an activist group which claims that many modern ailments are attributable to industrial chemicals, now says that it has duplicated Greenpeace's tests of the iPhone, specifically those that showed the presence of phthalates in the headphone cables. Phthalates are typically contained in PVC plastics, and are used to increase their flexibility; while normally safe, certain toxic varieties -- including a pair in Apple's iPhone cables -- may hinder the sexual development of mammals.
CEH singles out dibutyl phthalate (DBP), of which there is claimed to be 6,200 parts per million used for the iPhone. The group says it has also conducted tests on cables used for the iPod's headphones, and found DBP levels of 6,300ppm. Greenpeace's tests of the iPhone cables indicated 5,070ppm.
Apple has reportedly promised to eliminate the use of PVCs by the end of 2008, but this has not satisfied CEH, which last month filed a lawsuit against Apple based on the Greenpeace data. The suit alleges that Apple has violated California law by not warning customers of the phthalates in the iPhone, which CEH claims could be absorbed via the skin or oral contact.