There are persons with an allergy to some of the chemical out-gassing
from electronic components, those used in many consumer products
including computers, portable and residential electronics, etc.
Of those, some are authors who use computers for online journalism
and so they have written of their experiences online. Those kinds of
articles probably are searchable online.
Some of those afflicted will run their computers for several years inside
an isolation chamber or a partial vacuum enclosure where the airflow of
the room the computer is used in, vents out an enclosure past the computer
to the outdoors. These are fan-powered and the front area is usually open
to access a keyboard, if a portable computer. The negative pressure or
pull of the vent fan keeps the air going from the work area to the user.
A different kind of isolation run environment could include a totally enclosed
confined space for the computer main unit, while a relatively safe display
and keyboard/mouse (of sufficiently less noxious status) would be left out.
Since the air-cooled computing product requires an air-flow, these would be
ducted so the machine would neither take nor leave air in the living space.
Since I have few allergies and have also worked among industrial chemicals
(that were not nice; some have been banned since) I don't have an issue
but do recall a change from western-made logic boards in older Macs to those
made by a different process, years ago, in Asia.
You may be able to find out where the computer you have, in question, was
made and when, by doing an Identify by serial number search, online. That
kind of information, the country of assembly, may be available and perhaps
it may tell part of the story. Sub-assemblies could have been outsourced, so
there is a possibility of not knowing exactly where (per contractor) where a
specific machine's parts may have been produced, in the build-year location.
identify your mac - serial number look up:
http://www.powerbookmedic.com/identify-mac-serial.php - or -
http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html
The newer Apple products have evidence of the company's work toward a
safer product and better materials, workmanship, and quality of life. A better
product also assures the recycle-stream of materials may also be properly
re-used and the process can be started over, with quality & safety a priority.
The environment including air, water, earth, and sustainability are important.
Hopefully other companies can contribute to making all of their steps in the
processes of manufacturing through product life, to recycle and reuse, better.
Phenolic resins and other materials to make older electronics fire-resistant,
in the past, can make those products have an odoriferous disdain. Some are
less noxious and harder to detect. Those who are hyper-sensitive to them
are on the forefront of knowing first-hand. (Like those with peanut allergies.)
{It is unlikely the specific resin noted was ever inside any Mac; per example
of a product that gasses-off, and is industrial, is the point in the reference.}
Some years ago, other industries including televisions, etc, were under
scrutiny and technologies were being developed to get further away from
the problems being discovered in using some flame-retardant chemicals.
From 2004: Building Green EBN: 13:6 - Flame Retardants under Fire:
http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/ID/2722/
Not sure what to say about your specific iBook G3 900MHz computer's odor.
Maybe there's an ant colony factory inside there, now? They like electronics.
None of mine have been home to any factory bugs, or industrial smells, so far!
Apple - Environment:
http://www.apple.com/environment/
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂
