Birth Defects From Exposure Semiconductor Chip Manufacturing Solvents
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association in a 1999 publication *, pregnant women who are exposed in their jobs to organic solvents such as those use din the computer chip industry have 13-times greater risk of major malformations in their babies, and an increased risk for miscarriages, than women who are not exposed to solvents.
Factors in determining the connection between exposure and
the birth defect include whether or not the birth defect or injury
is associated in the medical and scientific literature with the
chemicals contained in the solvent products. There are many epidemiological
studies indicating links with different types of injury.
Other factors to consider are whether a temporal relationship
between the exposure and the injury exists, the duration and
"dose" of exposure and whether other children were
injured. For example: if the mother was pregnant while working
in the clean room, had a miscarriage while working in the clean
room, father had reproductive health problems, children and siblings
with birth defects.
Types of Birth Defects associated with computer chip solvents:
Cleft Lip and Palate
An oral cleft is a split or separation in the baby's lip and/or palate. Cleft lip means that the two sides of the upper lip did not grow together properly. Cleft palate is a split or opening in the roof of the mouth. Although cleft lip and cleft palate may occur in the same baby, both conditions can happen separately. The opening in the lip or palate may only on one side or on both sides.
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is an abnormal build up of cerebrospinal fluid
(CSF) in the brain that causes ventricles to enlarge and the
pressure inside the head to increase. Hydrocephalus occurs when
there is an imbalance in the amount of CSF being produced and
absorbed.
Neural Tube Defects
Neural tube defects are serious birth defects which involve incomplete development of the brain, spinal cord and/or the protective coverings of these organs. There are three types of NTDs - anencephaly, encephalocele, and spina bifida.
Anencephaly: Babies born with this birth defect have underdeveloped brains and incomplete skulls. Most infants born with anecephaly do not survive more than a few hours after birth.
Encephalocele: A birth defect that results in a hole in the skull through which tissue protrudes. Although most babies with encephalocele do not live or are severely retarded, a few children have survived because of early surgery to correct the defect.
Spina bifida: A birth defect of the spinal column (backbone)
that is sometimes called "cleft or open spine". Spina
bifida can range from a mild defect that causes no problems to
a serious condition involving muscle paralysis, loss of feeling,
infection and loss of bowel and bladder control. 70-90% of children
born with the more severe types of spina bifida will also have
hydrocephalus, a build up of fluid in the brain. Hydrocephalus
is controlled by surgically implanting a drain or "shunt"
to relieve the fluid pressure on the brain.
Gastroschisis
Gastroschisis is an abdominal wall defect where all or parts
of the small intestine and other internal organs are on the outside
of the abdomen. The umbilical cord is usually attached to the
abdominal wall to the left of the defect. Other problems include
a small abdominal cavity and the absence of a protective sac
covering the exposed organs.
Heart Defects
The heart is a pump made of muscle that is divided into four
chambers. Blood is pumped into these chambers through four valves
that open and control blood flow. Blood from the body that is
low in oxygen is pumped through the heart where it receives a
new supply of oxygen from the lungs before going back into circulation
in the body. A heart defect is any abnormality of the heart's
structure or function that affects this process.
Semiconductor Chip Manufacturing Workers
Injured by Solvents may have Legal Claims
If you were a pregnant woman; or man who worked in a clean room in a computer or semiconductor chip plant and used or were exposed to solvents such as photoresist, gases or metals including arsenic or other hazardous chemicals and you havce had a child born with certain birth defects, you and your child may have legal rights against the manufacturer of these solvents as well as against your employer.
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* Khattak S, K-Moghtader G, McMartin K, Barrera M, Kennedy D, Koren G Pregnancy outcome following gestational exposure to organic solvents: a prospective controlled study. JAMA 1999 Sep 15;282(11):1033.