Skip to main content

Workers at Chinese mobile phone supplier poisoned by cleaning chemical

The new Nokia X6

Nokia says parts for its phones are not made on the Wintek production lines that have used n-hexane as a screen-cleaner.

Workers at a Chinese factory that makes parts for mobile phone companies including Nokia have been in hospital for months after being poisoned by a chemical used in production.

The owner of the plant says it stopped using the screen-cleaner n-hexane in August last year after 47 workers were taken ill. But the lingering effects of the chemical have left several requiring continued medical care.

Taiwanese firm Wintek is known for its touch-screen panels for mobiles and owns several factories in mainland China. It is reported to make the iPhone's touch-screen panels and has been widely touted as a potential supplier of iPad components for Apple.

Nokia said the n-hexane was not used on its production lines but that it had ensured measures were taken to protect workers' safety at the plant in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

It is not clear why Wintek started using n-hexane to clean screens instead of alcohol, nor when it did so, although the health problems appear to have surfaced in July. The issue gained attention when 2,000 workers from the factory went on strike last month over a pay dispute and cited lingering anger about the chemical incident.

Deng Yulong, a 19-year-old worker, told Chinese Central Television she became sick soon after starting work at the plant. She suffered from weakness and severe headaches and fainted twice in the factory.

Repeated exposure to the chemical at high concentration can cause nerve damage and muscle weakness, with symptoms in severe cases lasting for as long as two years.

A spokesman for Wintek said that "almost all" of the affected workers were back at work but that some remained in hospital. He could not say how many had recovered.

He said that n-hexane was commonly used in the industry, adding that the problems arose because no prior evaluation of the plant was carried out. Because some areas were not ventilated, the concentration of the chemical built up and poisoned the workers.

The spokesman added that the company had paid the workers' medical bills and regular wages, topped up with food and nutrition supplements amounting to more than their usual wage.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

iPhone is winning the Mobile Browser war, Nokia and the rest are falling behind

According to the Admob report the Apple iPhone is the most used handset used for surfing the web. Anyone surprised? (click on the image above to view the full sized image) Highlights: Worldwide iPhone OS marketshare has increased from 33 to 40 percent in the last 6 months, with substantial share in all regions except for Asia and Africa. Although its marketshare has been declining, Nokia continues to hold 12 of the top 20 smartphone devices in AdMob’s network. Nokia’s N97 and 5800 XpressMusic touchscreen devices were the fourth and fifth most popular smartphones in the UK in August. RIM smartphone share declined only slightly over the last 6 months. There are 7 RIM models in the top 20 smartphones in North America. Android is growing rapidly in North America and Western Europe. The HTC Magic (my Touch) is a Top 10 smartphone in both North America and Western Europe. Palm Pre also had a strong month due to the addition of new publishers to the AdMob network...

Samsung i8510 INNOV8

The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 is also known as the Samsung i8510 & the Samsung INNOV8 which is a stylish 3G Smartphone. The casing is sleek & sophisticated which comes in a glossy black coloured casing complete with a simplistic slide opening mechanism. The slide opening system allows the user to open the handset to access the numeric keypad complete with letter entry facilities. The casing is 17.2mm deep by 106.5mm tall by 53.9mm when measured in its slide closed position. The i8510 INNOV8 is from the Samsung Smartphone range which includes other Smartphone's such as the Samsung i560 , Samsung i780 & the Samsung i900 . The Smartphone comes with a large screen which is 2.8 Inches in size & has a display resolution of 240 pixels by 320 pixels & the screen displays up to sixteen million colours on the TFT screen. The i8510 INNOV8 is available in an 8 gigabyte version or a 16 gigabyte version which both support an expandable memory card which supports a further 16 giga...

Pictures: Nokia Speakerphone HF-300

Hit the road and enjoy your independence with the Nokia Speakerphone HF-300. Specifications: - Removable 1150 mAh battery (Nokia Battery BL-6C) - Power saving feature: automatically switches off after five minutes if no phone is connected - Compatible with Nokia chargers AC-4, AC-5, and DC-4 (Nokia Mobile Charger DC-4 inbox) - Illuminated call controls, send/end call key and volume keys - Power key for switching on and off and for muting the microphone during an active call - Connectivity Bluetooth 2.0 specification with handsfree profile (HFP) 1.5 - MountEasy to attach clip secures the device to your car’s sun visor - Sound Integrated digital signal processing technology with echo cancellation and noise reduction - Microphone optimally placed Sales package contents: - Nokia Speakerphone HF-300 - Nokia Battery BL-6C - Nokia Mobile Charger DC-4 - Sun visor clip - User guide [Pics from zol.com.cn]