Semi-conductor cleanroom workers at no increased cancer risk

Published: 11-Nov-2010

According to research by Vanderbilt University team


People who work in semiconductor industry cleanrooms are at no more risk of cancer than other workers, research has revealed.

A five-year epidemiological study conducted by researchers from Vanderbilt University in the US covering more than 100,000 semiconductor industry workers found no association between overall cancer mortality and working in wafer fabrication cleanrooms, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said.

The US$7.5m study was conducted by Vanderbilt University’s Department of Medicine and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and supported by a research grant from SIA.

The study also found no evidence of increased mortality from all causes or from all cancers when comparing employees working in cleanrooms with non-fabrication workers.

The researchers studied work histories and assessment of chemical exposures for 100,081 workers employed in US semiconductor companies between 1968 and 2002. The study cohort included 14,280 workers whose employment began prior to 1983.

“Recognising that the semiconductor manufacturing process necessarily involves the use of potentially hazardous chemicals and materials, SIA member companies have over the years supported several independent epidemiology studies to determine whether workers employed in chip manufacturing operations are subject to increased health risks,” said SIA president Emeritus George Scalise.

“The purpose of the Vanderbilt study was to determine if there is an increased risk of cancer among wafer fabrication workers when compared with other semiconductor workers or the general population.”

He added: “These results underscore the effectiveness of programmes and practices implemented by the semiconductor industry to ensure the health and safety of our workforce.”

The research details appear in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

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