Smell mitigation for off-gassing Apple hardware fumes

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Smell mitigation for off-gassing Apple hardware fumes

I'm running a late 2013 MacBook Pro and an external Thunderbolt display, both are emiting a very strong noxious chemical smell and causing dizziness and headaches. In particular a new Apple USB keyboard is kicking off a very strong smell and I've had to bag it and use an older keyboard.

There are several support threads about various Apple hardware off-gassing, and reports of going into Apple stores with predictable results - ie staff does inconclusive smell test, components swapped to little effect and so on.

Has anyone successfully mitigated a simliar problem other than returning or selling the hardware - either by waiting it out, swapping components, increased fan speed to bring internal temperature down or otherwise?

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5), External Thunderbolt display 27"

Posted on May 7, 2014 11:19 AM

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Answer 1

Avalon128 Author

Level 1

8 points

May 7, 2014 1:37 PM in response to Avalon128

Heard back from a poster in another forum that it took about 4 months for his new Thunderbolt to become tolerable - so I just packed my new display up and am shipping it back to Apple.

Getting a used (i.e. no longer releasing as much benzene and formaldehyde) replacement display on eBay. Got a used version of the same keyboard as well, hopefully they won't be as bad.

Probably will keep the MacBook, going to just leave it on for a month in another room hopefully most of the internal adhesives and so on will have released the worst of the chemicals by then.

So in answer to this question - the only mitigation is avoidance and good ventillation it would seem.

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