HOSUR, India: An Indian state health authority is investigating how liquid discharged from Apple supplier Tata's iPhone components factory has affected farmers, some of whom complained about skin issues from contamination in their farmlands, according to three officials and a document reviewed by Reuters.
The health investigation opens a new front in an environmental dispute that has become a test case for India's push to become a major manufacturing hub for Apple iPhones. The Tata Electronics plant in Tamil Nadu's Hosur was sent a warning notice by the state pollution control board on May 25 for allegedly contaminating groundwater in adjacent farms.
