How are Workers Exposed to Harmful Chemicals?

Workers can be exposed to harmful substances depeding on the particular company they work for.  In general there are similarities within a particular industry.

For instance, semiconductor chip manufacturing involves a complex fabrication process, creating a chip that consists of many layers with each layer having a complex pattern.  The step in the manufacturing process that results in exposure to solvents is the creation of the detailed pattern on the silicone layers.  The detailed patterns are created on the layers of silicone using a technique called photolithography.  Photolithography involves applying photoresist over the silicone.  The unexposed silicon is washed away using solvents.  Often the solvent contains harmful substances such as glycol ethers, and plant clean room workers involved in photolithography may be harmed by inhalation and exposure.

The photolithography process is performed in clean rooms that are designed so that the air in the clean rooms is continuously filtered and re-circulated, which means that the exposure to the solvent is enhanced.  The process of photolithography is repeated many times to create the transistors and other electronic circuitry that make up each chip.

Another example of toxic exposure across a particular line of work is when beauticians are exposed by handling the chemicals used in dying and perming hair.  Many of the same chemicals are used in most beauty shops.

<-back

Back to birth defects home page.