China investigating IT suppliers linked with Apple for polluting rivers

Local authorities in China are investigating two electronics suppliers linked with Apple and also reportedly HTC of dumping heavy metals in the country's rivers after watchdog groups accused them of damaging the environment.

Last week, five Chinese environmental groups issued a report claiming that factories of Foxconn Technology Group and Unimicron Technology had been polluting rivers in the country's Taihu basin, where the cities of Shanghai and Kunshan are located.

The groups claimed the factories from the two suppliers had dumped large amounts of nickel and copper that had been poisoning the nearby water and soil, and threatening the health of local residents. At the Foxconn facilities, the water was described as black, and carrying an "awful stench". The affected soil had become yellow and red in color, and planted crops were also unable to grow. (A video of the report can be found here.)

On Friday, Kunshan's environmental protection bureau said it would investigate the matter, and monitor the water drained by the facilities. Any violations found will be dealt with, the city said in statement posted on the its official microblog account.

Taiwan-based Foxconn, which builds products for Apple, Microsoft and Sony, said it was aware of the claims made by the environmental groups, but said the waste treatment from its facility in Kunshan was in line with local regulations.

"The river that runs through the middle of that industrial park receives waste water discharges from a number of companies that are based in the park," the company said in a statement. Foxconn also said it was supporting government plans to protect the Taihu lake basin, and advocated other companies should do the same.

Unimicron, another Taiwan-based company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The dumping of the heavy metals by electronic suppliers usually comes from the manufacturing of printed circuit boards, according to the Chinese environmental groups. Copper toxicity can cause the poisoning of fish and soil, and lead to cardiovascular illness in humans, while nickel is a known carcinogen, the groups added.

In its report, the environmental groups said they suspected Unimicron's facility in the lake basin of supplying to smartphone maker HTC.

In response, HTC said, "The company has been taking a proactive approach to ensure proper and prudent supply chain management," and works to ensure all of its suppliers follows the company's code of conduct.

In recent years, Chinese environmental groups have been critical of electronic manufacturers in the country for polluting. In the past, Apple was accused of failing to prevent its suppliers from damaging the environment. Apple later agreed to jointly audit one of its suppliers' factories in China with a prominent environmental group in the country. Apple did not respond when asked to comment on the investigations by Kunshan's environmental protection bureau.

Celebrity Wife Swap: Bristol Palin Bonds With Joan Rivers, Lives Melissa Rivers' Hollywood Life

Melissa Rivers and Bristol Palin switched lives in the season premiere of Celebrity Wife Swap. Credit: ABC/Rick Rowell; ABC/Matt Hage

Bristol Palin was very much a fish out of water during the season premiere of Celebrity Wife Swap on Sunday, June 23. The single mother -- to son Tripp, 4 -- left her humble Wasilla, Alaskan abode for a more upscale, fast-paced lifestyle in Hollywood when she swapped lives with red carpet veteran Melissa Rivers.

Since both Bristol and Melissa are single mothers (divorced from John Endicott, Melissa is raising 12-year-old son Cooper by herself), Willow Palin (Bristol's 18-year-old sister) and Joan Rivers (Melissa's 80-year-old mom) subbed in as the respective households' caregiver.

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Both women had quite an adjustment to make -- the Rivers' lavish Tinseltown lifestyle was a far cry from Bristol's more conservative, simple small-town life.

Ultimately, however, the exchange wasn't quite as explosive as viewers might have imagined, though there were definitely some unexpectedly emotional moments.

At the final roundtable at the end of the episode, Rivers matriarch Joan teared up as she admitted that she'd wrongly pre-judged Bristol because of her political beliefs.

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"I learned nobody should judge anybody from where they come, or who they're related to, good or bad," she said, wiping away tears as she addressed Bristol. "You are your own person. And … I adore you. I just think you're great. I just had the best time with you. I think you're terrific."

The feelings were mutual. In an interview with Fox News prior to the season premiere, Bristol admitted that she, too, learned a lot from the notoriously outspoken comedienne and Fashion Police host.

"I think Joan is just awesome," she said. "I think at the end of the day, her family is the most important thing to her, just like with me -- my family is the most important thing to me."

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While the legendary comic was forging bonds with 22-year-old Bristol, her daughter Melissa, 45, was busy trying to rein in Bristol's son.

And, ultimately, Melissa was able to give Bristol some valuable parenting advice. "She's a single mom to a boy as well, so there were some good things that she got to tell me -- some secrets on how to discipline and hoe to raise a boy by yourself," Bristol told Fox News.

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Bristol and her former flame (and Tripp's father) Levi Johnston had a huge falling out when they broke up in 2010. He has since Sunny Oglesby, the mother of his second child.

"I think that no matter what type of background you have, you are trying to raise a boy, you know?" she continued. "There's a lot of things that you can have in common."