An Australian media report claims that workers in southern China who assembled Apple iPhones and computers have been in the hospital for months due to exposure to harmful chemicals.

A report from the Australian Broadcasting Company said that a group of women have been unable to walk after exposure to the chemical n-hexane. The journalist who filed the report spoke to some of the women in a hospital in Suzhou.

In the report, one woman said, "At first the symptoms were pretty obvious." She was pertaining to her reaction to inhaling n-hexane, which is used for sticking logos on devices. She added, "My hands were numb. I could hardly walk or run."

The woman was said to have been in the hospital for over six months. She said she had been working in a cramped factory that produced genuine Apple laptops and iPhones.

Workers at a Suzhou factory fell ill after exposure to the chemical in 2009. The factory, which was operated by Wintek, a Taiwanese company, eventually eliminated n-hexane from its production line. The conditions in Chinese factories that produce iPhones have earlier raised concerns among Labour activists. The group claims that employees in the factories are subjected to long hours and are given low wages.