Chinese factory workers have sent a letter to Steve Jobs and Apple hoping that the company will take notice of the harsh working conditions the employees deal with and apologise to the workers for exposing workers to hexyl hydride, also called n-hexane.
Hexyl hydride causes “sweaty hands and feet, sudden numbness in hands, swelling and pain in the feet, tiredness and faintness.” Daily exposure, such as what the workers faced, has long-term and possibly irreversible nerve damage.
The factories have since switched away from hexyl hydride (and back to alcohol) but the workers feel that they haven’t been given enough compensation and will be unable to pay for medical costs in the future. Some of the workers feel that they would have lost their jobs if they didn’t take the compensation offered. One worker sums up the employees’ helplessness:
“I hope Apple can respect our labour and our dignity. I hope they can stand up and apologise to us”
Apple declined to comment on the workers’ letter. [Reuters]