Risks of n-hexane

Eighteen months since the first employee in Suzhou was diagnosed with n-hexane damage, victims are still struggling to learn the truth about their health and are grappling to adjust to a life shadowed by unknown challenges ahead.

N-hexane is a colorless liquid with a slight pungent smell. Its potential risks and safe exposure limits are well known in the industry. Chronic exposure can cause extensive peripheral nervous system failure. Symptoms include tingling and cramps in the arms and legs, followed by general muscular weakness.

N-hexane also is highly volatile at room temperature.

Lang Juming, deputy secretary for social affairs at Suzhou Industrial Park, tells Xinhua News Agency that the park gave clear notice two years ago to tenant factories that they could not use n-hexane, and all the companies signed letters of commitment.

But United Win Technology had decided in August 2008 to switch from alcohol to n-hexane for cleaning because it dried more quickly, according to later investigations by local government. Investigators also found that the chemical was used without proper ventilation.

"It now appears we cannot believe the commitment made by the enterprises," Lang says.

The government should play a stronger part in effective enforcement, Lang says, taking pre-emptive measures to prevent accidents rather than just punishing those that violate safety or environmental regulations.

Problematic suppliers

In its supplier responsibility report, Apple admitted it has encountered many problems - including underage workers, involuntary or debt-bonded labor, and unsafe handling of dangerous chemicals - during its audits of 127 production facilities in China. Despite requests from environmental groups in China, Apple declined to list its suppliers.

"Apple's recent supply chain scandal is not an isolated case in China," says Qin Zhigang, General Electric's environmental health safety director in North Asia. "Supply chain problems usually boil down to one specific link, instead of the whole chain at fault."

But international corporations are realizing that China is demanding changes in corporate responsibility, Qin says. "The intensity of public criticism signals a growing environmental awareness among the Chinese. Violations have always been there, but people never showed such strong reactions before."