![Sample our Environment & Agriculture journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5934/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Agriculture.jpg"})
Abstract
Background:
Despite concerns over the harmful health effects of semiconductor production, epidemiological studies have shown mixed results.
Objectives:
We aim to critically appraise epidemiologic studies to date, and to suggest future research and actions to protect workers in semiconductor industry.
Methods:
Epidemiologic studies were identified through electronic database searches, review of reference lists of relevant published works, and expert consultations, and were narratively reviewed.
Results:
Most evidence suggests reproductive risks from fabrication jobs, including spontaneous abortion (SAB), congenital malformation, and reduced fertility. Although chemicals have been suspected as causal agents, knowledge of the likely contribution(s) from specific exposures is still limited. Evidence of cancer risk seems to be equivocal. However, the available studies had serious limitations including healthy worker effects (HWEs), information bias, and insufficient power, all of which are associated with underestimation. Nevertheless, excess risks for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), leukemia, brain tumor, and breast cancer were observed.
Conclusions:
Monitoring and innovative research based on international collaboration with a focus on sentinel events are required.
Acknowledgements
Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the Korea Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Annual Meeting (2011) and the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting (2012), and the authors are grateful to the commentators for their helpful comments. M.-H. Kim was supported by the Health Equity Research Fund of the People's Health Institute and the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2010-330-B00133).