Cancer-causing materials found at semiconductor plants of 3 firms: study

SEOUL, Feb. 6 — Cancer-inducing elements were detected at semiconductor plants operated by three firms including Samsung Electronics Co., a study showed Monday, renewing concerns about the health of their workers.

The detected levels of carcinogens such as benzene, arsenic and formaldehyde were unlikely to pose risks of cancer.

But their presence was enough to give cause for concern, according to the study by the state-run Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute.

The study was conducted on five wafer-manufacturing lines and four semiconductor assembly lines at Samsung, Hynix Semiconductor Inc., and Fairchild Semiconductor over three years starting in 2009.

The report could deal a blow to Samsung, which last July denied any link between its chip plants and cancer, citing a study by U.S. environmental consulting firm Environ International Corp.

After a spate of deaths and illnesses among young semiconductor workers, Samsung had commissioned Environ to study the cases of six workers who developed leukemia and other blood-related diseases while working at the electronics maker's chip factories in suburban Seoul.

"The results of our study are significant in that they reveal that the sources of carcinogens are inside the plants," said Park Jung-sun, chief of OSHRI.

"Though the levels are very low, they must be further reduced as much as is technically possible."

Benzene, which is known to cause leukemia, was produced as a by-product at some of the manufacturing and assembly lines, although its levels were within the acceptable range of less than 1 part per million, according to the study.

Exposure to levels below the upper limit poses no health risks over the lifetime of a worker who works eight hours per day at the plant, the study said.

However, the amount of arsenic detected at wafer-manufacturing lines was found to exceed the acceptable limit of 0.01 milligram per cubic meter, prompting calls for countermeasures.

The level of arsenic, known to cause lung cancer, reached as much as 0.061 milligram per cubic meter, according to the study. (PNA/Yonhap)

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