'Group's suit alleges toxin in iPhones'

COMPLAINT SAYS LAW REQUIRES WARNING LABEL OR REMOVAL

An Oakland environmental group, alleging that the popular iPhone contains a
reproductive toxin that violates California law, filed a complaint Monday
against Apple.
The Center for Environmental Health filed its complaint under the state's
Proposition 65 law, which stipulates that products that expose the public to
chemicals that are reproductive toxins or carcinogens must carry a warning
label or be taken off the market. The agency based its claim on a Greenpeace
report, which discovered phthalates, a group of chemicals that can cause
birth defects, in the vinyl plastic earphone wiring.

"We want the company to take the toxic chemicals out of the product and make
it safer," said the center's spokesman, Charles Margulis.

Apple has 60 days to respond. A spokesman for the company was not available
late Monday.

Phthalates is banned in toys in San Francisco and the European Union.

"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."

The complaint comes at a time Apple has begun working closely with
environmental groups. Last spring, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled
new environmental policies. In response, Trillium Asset Management withdrew
an environmental-policy resolution that shareholders were to vote on at the
Cupertino company's annual meeting in May.

"Apple has been paying attention to its environmental profile in the past
few years," said Bill Walker, a vice president of the Environmental Working
Group in Oakland. "But it's still under fire for a lot of things. You can't
replace batteries in iPods, so all those iPods are being thrown away."

Ted Smith, executive director of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, said
the new complaint underscored the difficulties facing consumer tech
companies, which rely on complex supply chains.

"It's an extraordinary challenge to manage the thousands of suppliers and
potentially millions of chemicals involved in the products," he said.
"Twenty years ago, most of the brand-name computer and electronics companies
manufactured their own products. They knew what was in their products
because they controlled the entire supply chain. Now virtually all of that
is being outsourced to contractors and subcontractors."

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT (publ. 10/17/07)
An article about phthalates and Apple's iPod incorrectly reported the title
of Ted Smith. He is chairman of the Computer TakeBack Campaign.

By John Boudreau
Mercury News
16 Oct 2007

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_7191038?nclick_check=1