Environmentalists have threatened to sue Apple if it does not make its iPhone a “greener” product or warn consumers of the toxins allegedly used in the gadget’s manufacture.

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a campaign group based in California, said it would launch legal action in 60 days unless Apple moved first.

The threat follows a report from Greenpeace, the environmental group, which alleged that the iPhone contains dangerous levels of bromine, chlorine and “phthalates”, chemicals used to increase the flexibility of plastic.

David Santillo, of Greenpeace, says on a video posted on the campaign group’s site: “Electronics companies have traditionally relied on the cool clean image of their devices in order to sell them. What we have found over the years is that once you get behind that shiny cover the story is very different.”

The level of phthalate esters, a chemical linked to birth defects, in plastic coating of iPhone earphone wires is greater than that allowed in toys or childcare items sold in Europe, Greenpeace alleges.

The CEH website says that the group “works to hold corporations accountable for their use of toxic chemicals that endanger public health”.

It adds: “We challenge corporations to stop polluting or to lower the toxicity of their consumer products. We motivate change by outreach, education, and when necessary, legal action under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (otherwise known as “Proposition 65”).”

A notice sent to Apple and the California state attorney general gives the non-profit environmental law group legal standing to sue Apple in 60 days.

A suit could force Apple to put warnings on iPhone packaging but is unlikely to lead to a product recall.

The action could prove embarrassing for Al Gore, who sits on the Apple board, and who this week was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental work.

Apple has sold more than one million iPhones since the device’s launch this summer in the US. In that time, the gadget has also proven itself a magnet for lawsuits – some of more apparent merit than others.

Earlier this month an angry iPhone buyer said she was suing Apple for $1 million (£490,000) after the company slashed the price of the device by $200 only 68 days after its US launch.

Dongmei Li, of New York, who waited "for hours" to buy a 4GB version of the iPhone in July three days after its debut, accused Apple of "price discrimination, underselling, discrimination in rebates, deceptive actions and other wrongdoings", according to a filing by her attorney.

Only hours after Steve Jobs unveiled the gadget in January, Apple was sued by Cisco, which claimed that it owned the “iphone” brand. The two technology companies settled out of court.

In August Herbert Kliegerman filed a class-action lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court, claiming that the company had misled consumers.

He filed the action after being hit with a $2,000 bill for roaming charges when he used his iPhone outside the US, which he claimed he was told would not be imposed.

Two other lawsuits making their way through US courts contend that users cannot change the iPhone’s battery.

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