Investigation into “n-hexane poisoning” of Apple employees_Industrial Additives

Apple recently released the “2011 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report”, admitting for the first time that 137 workers at Lianjian Company “had suffered adverse health effects due to exposure to n-hexane.” Influence”. As soon as the report was released, Apple and its foundry companies were thrust into the forefront of public opinion. While well-known brand manufacturers have gained high profits, their social responsibilities have once again attracted attention.

Located in Suzhou Industrial Park, Lianjian Company was established in December 1999 with a registered capital of US$123 million. It mainly produces new flat panel displays and related electronic components. , hardware accessories and other related products, it currently has more than 16,000 employees, with an average age of about 20 years old.

According to the investigation, from October 2008 to August 2009, the fifth module class of Lianjian Company began to use n-hexane instead of alcohol and other cleaning agents to wipe the workplace. Display work. In early August 2009, some employees developed symptoms of n-hexane poisoning such as dizziness and numbness in their hands and feet.

27-year-old Jia Jingchuan recently returned to work at Apple’s supplier in China, Lianjian (China) Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Lianjian”) , although the working environment has improved and the job position has been adjusted, the shadow in my heart is still difficult to eliminate, and my body does not seem to have returned to a healthy state. “It’s so cold, my hands and feet are still sweating, I’m afraid of the cold!”

Jia Jingchuan said that in May 2009, he began to feel that his palms were sweating easily, his whole body was weak, his legs were sore and painful, and he would have cramps while sleeping. “At first I thought it was caused by high work pressure. In June, I heard that an employee was paralyzed, and I started to get nervous.” After receiving hospitalization, Jia Jingchuan was assessed as having a level 10 disability.

Liu Jie, chief physician of the Occupational Disease Department of Suzhou Fifth People’s Hospital, said that n-hexane is an organic solvent and is one of the chemicals restricted by the state. N-hexane poisoning can cause peripheral nerve damage, leading to numbness and abnormal sensation in the limbs. In severe cases, it can cause damage to the motor nerves of the limbs and muscle atrophy.

The characteristics of n-hexane are that it is volatile, can quickly remove stains, retain smoothness, and has low cost. Jia Jingchuan told reporters, “The yield rate using alcohol can only be 50%-60%, while the yield rate using n-hexane can reach 96%.” Jia Jingchuan said.

Apple’s latest financial report recently released shows that in the three months ended December 25, 2010, Apple achieved a net profit of US$6 billion, a year-on-year increase of 78% %, of which 16.24 million iPhone units were sold, a year-on-year increase of 86%, and 7.33 million units of the newly launched iPad were also sold.

Regarding the poisoning incident of 137 workers, Apple Asia Pacific spokesperson Huang Yuna said in an interview with reporters that Apple currently controls the production processes or materials used by suppliers. At the same time, the company also hopes that the supplier responsibility progress report released every year can truthfully and sincerely disclose to the public the phased results the company has achieved.

According to Zhang Lisheng, deputy general manager of Lianjian (China) Technology Co., Ltd., the company stopped using n-hexane on July 28, 2009, and at the same time equipped employees with protective equipment For personal items that are hazardous to organic solvents, the overall ventilation and fresh air volume of the module five workshop have been strengthened, and local ventilation devices have been installed at wiping stations.

The reporter saw in the workshop that all 192 wiping stations had been installed with trumpet-shaped suction hoods. In addition, Yang Ruixiang, the top manager in the factory at the time, also resigned due to reasons such as “failure to inform employees, failure to improve the factory working environment, and illegal use of n-hexane.”

Industry insiders said that while Apple is pursuing production capacity expansion and operating profits, it should not pay the price of environmental pollution and personnel health.

Liu Chunquan, deputy director of the Information Network and High-Tech Legal Research Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association, pointed out that well-known brand manufacturers and distributors should actively fulfill their corporate citizenship responsibilities and treat suppliers as well. Efforts should be made to supervise and constrain, such as including anti-commercial bribery, prohibition of child labor, and requirements for strict environmental protection and employee protection in contracts.

Ma Jun, director of the Public and Environmental Research Center, said: “Although this is a belated confirmation, Apple finally admits that workers are involved in the process of producing its products. environmental groups welcome this report.”

After the incident, the relevant departments of the Suzhou Industrial Park Management Committee have been closely following the development of the situation, supervising the company to comprehensively rectify occupational hazards, and carrying out employee physical examinations, diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, For work-related injury identification and other work, administrative penalties will be imposed on enterprises in accordance with the law. So far, all employees who were hospitalized have recovered and been discharged.

Jia Jingchuan said that he hopes Apple can stand up and�We apologize. Secondly, we hope that Apple can shoulder its social responsibilities together with its foundry companies and do some protective work for our follow-up problems. (Reporters Zhu Xudong, Liu Weiwei, Gong Wen, Gao Shaohua, Sun Weili)

Extended reading:

What is n-hexane?

Hexane is a volatile liquid that evaporates faster than alcohol. It is often used to clean parts used in certain manufacturing processes, which is helpful to improve work efficiency, and the wiping effect is better than alcohol, which can reduce the defective rate. However, it has anesthetic and irritating effects, and long-term exposure can cause peripheral neurogenic damage.

N-hexane is a cleaning agent that is often used for wiping and cleaning operations in the production process of the electronics industry. It is not yet included in the national list of highly toxic substances. If employees are exposed to n-hexane for a long time in a confined space, they will develop symptoms of peripheral neuritis such as fatigue and numbness of the limbs, and in severe cases may cause neuronal damage. According to national regulations, enterprises using n-hexane should take effective occupational health protection measures.

The temptation of profit

Since we know that n-hexane is so harmful to the human body, why do we still use this organic solvent without special occupational protection? Shanghai Production Safety Supervision Director Wu Zhenwei of the Occupational Safety and Health Management Division of the Administration told reporters that the temptation of profits prevents companies from caring about the health of their employees. Wu Zhenwei said that although the market prices of n-hexane and alcohol are similar, n-hexane evaporates at least four or five times faster than alcohol, which can greatly improve production efficiency. In addition, n-hexane has better decontamination properties than alcohol. Alcohol, some stains and oil stains that are difficult to wipe away with alcohol can be solved by using n-hexane instead.

The reporter also learned that using alcohol to wipe the display screen generally has a yield rate of only about 60%, but using n-hexane, the yield rate reaches more than 90%. If calculated based on a monthly production of 3 million units, a 30% improvement in the yield rate means an additional 900,000 qualified products, and its profits will correspondingly increase by at least 2.43 million yuan.

Compared with the medical expenses they pay to employees who have suffered occupational injuries, these profits are still profitable. When faced with this situation, some companies They will choose to take risks with their employees’ health, which is also the root cause of occupational injuries that frequently occur.

High-tech pollution has become a new “member” of occupational injuries

A representative of the People’s Congress once proposed that, following wage and overtime pay disputes and wage arrears, the issue of occupational diseases will become the focus of labor workers’ rights protection in the future. In fact, according to data released by the Ministry of Health on April 28, 2010, there were 18,128 new cases of various occupational diseases in the country in 2009. Since the number of new cases of occupational diseases released now is discovered from occupational health surveillance with a coverage rate of only about 10%, the actual cases are much higher than the reported figures. Relevant statistics show that there are many industries with occupational hazards in our country, and the direct economic losses caused by occupational disease hazards each year reach about 100 billion yuan.

At the same time, some experts pointed out that what needs to be especially vigilant is that in recent years, the number of occupational hazards caused by high-tech pollution has been increasing significantly, such as the Lianjian Company where the poisoning incident occurred this time. The expert said that because high-tech products are mostly produced in clean air and clean delivery rooms, the high-tech industry has always given people the illusion of a clean industry. In fact, some high-tech industries use and discharge large amounts of toxic substances, seriously polluting groundwater and endangering residents’ lives and health, which is no different from traditional industrial pollution. However, during the production and processing process, electromagnetic, light, sound and other non-dust pollution that appears in the processing objects or production processes are generally invisible and intangible. Even conventional detection methods are difficult to detect, and they are always harmful to people’s health. , causing symptoms such as fatigue, memory loss, palpitations, precordial pain, chest tightness, irritability, hair loss, and physiological disorders. This kind of injury is preventable but not curable. Even if it is cured, it will leave sequelae. Occupational diseases, a bloodless “progressive death”, are far more harmful than bleeding “immediate deaths” such as mining accidents and car accidents. Therefore, only early prevention is the fundamental way to eliminate occupational hazards.

Information source: Xinhuanet