Apple Inc officially admitted on Feb 16 that 137 Chinese workers "suffered adverse health effects" from exposure to a toxic chemical in cleaning agents used at one of its factories in China, the reported.

The chemical, n-hexane, was used at a plant in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, which is operated by the Wintek corporation, the report said, citing?Apple's Supplier Responsibility 2011 Progress Report.

"Apple considers this series of incidents to be a core violation for worker endangerment," the report said.

Apple said it has required Wintek to stop using n-hexane and to provide evidence that they had removed the chemical from their production lines, according to the report.

In addition, Apple required them to fix their ventilation system. Since these changes, no new workers have suffered difficulties from chemical exposure, the report said.

Long-term, high-level exposure to n-hexane can damage the peripheral nervous system and eventually the spinal cord, leading to weak and atrophied muscles, male infertility, and even paralysis, according to .

Following China law, Wintek has paid medical treatment, meals, and foregone wages for sick or recuperating workers. A majority of the 137 workers have returned to employment at the same factory, Apple said in the report.

Apple said it will conduct a total re-audit of Wintek's facility in 2011.

The maker of iPad and?iPhone?also said in the report that it is "disturbed and deeply saddened" by the suicides or attempted suicides at Foxconn Technology's Shenzhen factory over the course of five months.

2月15日，蘋果公司發(fā)布2011年度“供應(yīng)商責(zé)任進(jìn)展報(bào)告”(Supplier Responsibility Progress Report)。此前一份名為《蘋果的另一面》的獨(dú)立調(diào)研報(bào)告，披露蘋果公司在用工和環(huán)境方面存在的問題。蘋果還在報(bào)告中回應(yīng)，其供應(yīng)商蘇州聯(lián)建科技有限公司(下稱“聯(lián)建科技”)的正己烷中毒事件。

2010年初，聯(lián)建科技發(fā)生職工中毒事件。該公司部分員工出現(xiàn)四肢無力、手腳疼痛等癥狀，甚至有人暈倒在車間。后查實(shí)，病因?yàn)樵摴敬婢凭潦糜|摸屏的一種化學(xué)溶劑正己烷。事件發(fā)生后，30多家環(huán)保組織指出蘋果公司供應(yīng)鏈存在問題，并多次與其交涉。最終，蘋果公司在其2011年供應(yīng)商責(zé)任進(jìn)展報(bào)告中對(duì)此事做出回應(yīng)，這是蘋果公司首次公開承認(rèn)國內(nèi)36家環(huán)保組織對(duì)其供應(yīng)商責(zé)任的指認(rèn)。

此外，上述報(bào)告提供了蘋果公司對(duì)127家廠商的審查結(jié)果，發(fā)現(xiàn)2010年有37家廠商存在關(guān)鍵違規(guī)行為，這些行為包括虐待工人、提供虛假審計(jì)材料、造成嚴(yán)重環(huán)境破壞等。這些供應(yīng)商分布在中國大陸、臺(tái)灣、馬來西亞、新加坡等地。而2009年報(bào)告顯示，102家供應(yīng)商中違規(guī)的有17家。

（中文新聞?wù)越?jīng)濟(jì)觀察網(wǎng)）

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