Liu Jie, a spokesman for an industrial park in Suzhou city where the factory is located, told AFP the manufacturer had illegally used the toxic chemical n-hexane to clean phone screens.

"It was used from October 2008 until July 2009," he said.

The Lianjian Technology Company is a subsidiary of Taiwan-based Wintek, which supplies Nokia and also reportedly provides Apple with touch-screens.

Liu said the industrial park first heard about the problem last summer and immediately ordered the plant to stop using n-hexane, which experts say can cause paralysis if inhaled in large amounts.

A total of 57 workers were hospitalised, and 44 were still undergoing treatment, Liu said, adding that the plant manager had been fired.

N-hexane is used with other chemicals as a cleaning agent in the printing, textile, furniture and shoemaking industries, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Inhaling large amounts of the chemical first causes numbness in the feet and hands, and can lead to paralysis. Workers usually recover within six months to a year once exposure stops.

Louise Ingram, a spokeswoman for Nokia in Beijing, said the Finnish firm became aware of allegations of n-hexane use at the plant in July last year, and immediately investigated.

"It was confirmed that the n-hexane was not used on our production lines at the supplier," she told AFP by email, but added that a series of "corrective measures" had been taken to ensure workers' safety.

James Chen, spokesman for Wintek, said the chemical had now been replaced by alcohol and acetone.

"After the problem was detected, the workers were told to go through checks... to decide whether they should be hospitalised," he said.

China's work safety record is notoriously bad, as an emphasis on economic growth over the past three decades has led to widespread disregard for workplace security.

Last year, for example, a spate of lead poisoning cases among hundreds of children living close to heavily polluting factories came to light.

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