Greenpeace slams Apple over iPhone's hazardous chemicals

Tests undertaken by environmental lobby group finds iPhone contains hazardous substances already eradicated by some rival phone manufacturers

Greenpeace has stepped up its campaign against iconic electronics manufacturer Apple with the release today of a new report that uncovers two types of hazardous substances in the company’s new iPhone.

Entitled Missed Call: iPhone's hazardous chemicals, the report details research on the iPhone undertaken at Greenpeace's labs in the UK which found that it contained toxic brominated compounds, indicating the presence of brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and hazardous PVC.

Greenpeace said that despite Apple boss Steve Job's recent commitment to improve the company’s green credentials it is still lagging behind rival phone manufacturers in its approach to hazardous components, with Nokia's portfolio being "totally PVC free", and Motorola and Sony Ericsson having products on the market with BFR-free components.

In contrast, Greenpeace's tests on 18 internal and external components in the iPhone confirmed the presence of brominated compounds in half the samples, including in the phone's antenna, in which they made up 10 per cent of the total weight of the flexible circuit board, while a mixture of toxic phthalates was found to make up 1.5 per cent of the plastic (PVC) coating of the headphone cables.

Dr David Santillo, senior scientist at the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, added that two of the phthalate plasticisers found in the headphone cable are classified in Europe as "toxic to reproduction, category 2" due to their " long-recognised ability to interfere with sexual development in mammals".

"While they are not prohibited in mobile phones, these phthalates are banned from use in all toys or childcare articles sold in Europe," he explained. " Apple should eliminate the use of these chemicals from its products range."

The tests also found that the iPhone's battery is glued and soldered into the handset, making it difficult to replace batteries and also hindering any efforts to break up the phone for appropriate recycling.

Greenpeace has been highly critical of Apple in the past, attacking the manufacturer for its policies on recycling and toxic components, and ranking it poorly in its greener electronics guide. The campaign prompted a response from Steve Jobs earlier this year, who unveiled a series of measures designed to bolster the company's environmental credentials and insisted that Apple was "ahead of, or will soon be ahead of, most of its competitors" on environmental issues.

However, Zeina Alhajj, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner, said that the latest research provided further evidence "that Apple is far from leading the way for a green electronics industry" and insisted that Jobs had "missed the call on making the iPhone his first step towards greening Apple's products".

Apple was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.