Chemical industry group defends Apple iPhone

Apple has found a new ally against ongoing criticism from environmental group Greenpeace. The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum (BSEF), the international organization of the bromine chemical industry, today “condemning the environmental lobby group for making unfair criticism of Apple’s iPhone’s green credentials,” according to reports.

The BSEF’s declaration comes in response to a report released by Greenpeace last week in which the group blasted Apple for using BFRs (brominated flame retardants), as well as hazardous PVC (polyvinyl chloride), in multiple components of the handsets.

“All the substances reported by Greenpeace are approved for use, and provide critical performance and safety functions in a wide range of electronic products,” the organization’s declaration says.

The BSEF accuses Greenpeace “raising an alarm” of environmental concerns without “knowing which brominated flame retardants Apple uses in the iPhone.”

The BSEF goes on to speculate that “the BFRs most likely used in the iPhone is actually a reactive — it reacts with other substances to form a plastic and, once reacted, it is also no longer available to the environment.”

The BSEF’s statement focuses almost entirely on the BFRs, not a surprise, considering the group represent the bromine industry. The report doesn’t specifically mention the phthalates found in the headphones wires of the iPhone. Those are a source of contention: Soon after Greenpeace released its report, the Center for Environmental Health threatened to file a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the company broke California law for failing to carry a warning label on the iPhone alerting consumers of the presence of phthaltes, a reproductive toxins.