In a move to protect its factory workers, technology giant Apple, has banned the use of not one, but two potentially hazardous chemicals in its iPhone and iPad final assembly stage. 

According to The Associated Press, the decision came five months after activist groups, China Labor Watch and Green America, launched a petition to get the Cupertino-based company to halt its use of benzene and n-hexane in its production.

The petition, led by Green America, collected nearly 23,000 signatures, urging Apple to phase out benzene and n-hexane.

"A four-month investigation at 22 factories found no evidence that benzene and n-hexane endangered the roughly 500,000 people who work at the plants," according to Apple, in a report by AP. "No traces of the chemicals were detected at 18 of the factories and the amounts found at the other four factories fell within acceptable safety levels."

Even after reaching such a conclusion, Apple has decided to heed the advice of the civic groups and has since decided "to order its suppliers to stop using benzene and n-hexane during the final assembly of iPhones, iPads, iPods, Mac computers and various accessories. What's more, Apple is requiring all its factories to test all substances to ensure that they don't contain benzene or n-hexane, even if the chemicals aren't listed in the ingredients," wrote the outlet.

"This is doing everything we can think of to do to crack down on chemical exposures and to be responsive to concerns," said Apple's vice president of environmental initiatives Lisa Jackson to AP. "We think it's really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries."

The two chemicals, according to AP, can cause serious health problems, with benzene being a carcinogen that has been identified to cause leukemia if not managed and handled properly while n-hexane is linked to nerve damage.

While the ban is only effective in the final assembly stage, the two chemicals may still be used during the early production phases, AP added, which take place in factories separate from the ones that do final the assembly.

However, as an additional precaution, Apple has reportedly made a move to decrease the maximum amount of the two chemicals during the earlier phases of manufacturing.

This is a good first step," said Elizabeth O'Connell, Green America's campaign director, addressing the move of Apple. "I hope they will continue to remove the most dangerous chemicals to human health or find ways to reduce the exposure."

With this initiative, there is a hope that other companies would follow suit and adopt similar practices regarding benzene and n-hexane, commented Gary Cook, senior information technology analyst for environmental rights group Greenpeace.

"This shows Apple can use its market muscle and influence to identify cleaner practices," Cook told AP.

However, there is more to be done. There are other dangerous toxins being used in factories that pose adverse effects on workers and the environment. Cook added, "It would be great to see that list get shorter, not just in terms of protecting worker safety but in terms of protecting air quality and water quality."