Apple has worked hard lately at being recognized for its green efforts. They've touted their environmentally friendly manufacturing policies on their site, they've cut down on packaging, and they instituted a recycling program for all their old products.

But, they also work with suppliers out of China, a country not known for strong environmental policies or one unfamiliar with the backroom deal. And one of their suppliers is delivering a nice black eye to the company.

The suit concerns WinTek, maker of the iPhone touch screens we all know and love, though there are conflicting reports about whether it is the parent company or subsidiary United Win. According to MacNN, Stratfor Global Intelligence reports 44 workers are preparing to sue WinTek after 62 workers were hospitalized for N-hexane poisoning. Most of the details are corroborated by the organization Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) which claims to have interviewed many of the workers.

According to the reports, instead of using alcohol for cleaning the iPhone and iPod touch screens in production, WinTek substituted in the toxic N-hexane. Long-term exposure to the chemical can result in muscle weakness, atrophy of skeletal muscles, as well as "a progressive loss of motor function."

Image of Workers Striking & Police Called In
(Source: SACOM & United Win worker)

The story originally broke in February after striking workers brought up the poisoning which had sickened staff and allegedly killed one worker back in August of 2009. Subsequent testing revealed more cases of hexane poisoning, with most affected workers remaining hospitalized months later. WinTek had initially tried to keep the story under wraps, but with workers preparing to go to court this story could grow worse.

With Apple's supposedly strict Supplier Code of Conduct, one would imagine that this development should spell the end of Apple's association with WinTek. So far, Cupertino has not commented on the story.