Apple bans chemicals' use in iPhones' final assembly

Apple Inc is banning the use of two potentially hazardous chemicals during the final assembly of iPhones and iPads as part of the company's latest commitment to protect factory workers who build the devices.

The decision announced on Wednesday comes five months after the activist groups launched a petition calling on Apple to abandon the use of benzene and n-hexane in the production of iPhones.

A four-month investigation at 22 factories found no evidence that benzene and n-hexane endangered the 500,000 people who work at the plants, according to Apple.