Among the sources who have investigated the deadly oder from Apple's new computer:
French National Centre for Scientific Research - anonymous researcher said to French newspaper Liberation it tested positive for toxins. "The computer emitted fumes which, after a week of use, caused a pronounced irritation of the cornea and respiratory passages," he said.
Greenpeace - Which identified seven "volatile organic contaminants," including styrene, benzene and its derivatives.
And of course, Apple themselves, who has yet to deny any of the accusations. In fact "Posts on Apple's own discussion boards suggest the Mac maker knew about potentially toxic odors being linked to its computers as early as December last year," said The Sydney Morning Herald. "Although officially Apple says it has found no evidence of the toxins, its customer support staff have allegedly told some callers that the company was aware of the problem, which concerned Mac Pro computers built before this year."
Confused? What could the star of consumer service be venting into your body?
For one: "Benzene, a known carcinogen, damages bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to leukemia and other blood cancers."
Styrene can cause "changes in color vision, tiredness, feeling drunk, slowed reaction time, concentration problems, or balance problems." The EPA has classed it as "a suspected carcinogen" and "a suspected toxin to the gastrointestinal, kidney, and respiratory systems, among others."
Congrats... your Apple product could be killing you and has a good chance of giving you cancer.
Have fun with that.
Sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/rotten-smell-raises-apple-toxin-fears/2008/10/02/1222651250932.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene#Health_effects
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=962025&tstart=0
http://www.macworld.com/article/135835/2008/10/macpro_benzene.html