Background: The semiconductor industry is known to use a number of chemicals, but little is known about the exact chemicals used due to the ingredients being kept as a trade secret. Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze chemical use using a safety data sheet (SDS) and chemical inventory provided by a major semiconductor company, which operated two factories (A and B). Methods: Descriptive statistics were obtained on the number of chemical products and ingredients, photoresists, and carcinogens, classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), as well as trade secret ingredients. The total chemical use per year was estimated from chemical inventories mass (kg). Results: A total of 428 and 432 chemical products were used in factories A and B, respectively. The number of pure chemical ingredients, after removing both trade secret ingredients and multiple counting, was 189 and 157 in factories A and B, respectively. The number of products containing carcinogens, such as sulfuric acid, catechol, and naphthalene was 47/428 (A) and 28/432 (B). Chemicals used in photolithography were 21% (A) and 26% (B) of all chemical products, and more than 97% among them were chemicals containing trade secret ingredients. Conclusions: Each year, 4.3 and 8.3 tons of chemicals were used per person in factories A and B, respectively. Because of the high level of commercial secrecy and the use of many unregulated chemicals, more sustainable policies and methods should be implemented to address health and safety issues in the semiconductor industry.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the hazardous chemical exposure control system in a semiconductor manufacturing company and recommend an appropriate exposure surveillance system for hazardous agents. We reviewed compliance-based chemical exposure data compiled between 2012 and 2014 by the study company. The chemical management system, characteristics of chemical use and hazardous gas monitoring system were also investigated. We evaluated the airborne isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and acetone generally used as cleaning solvents, volatile organic compounds and metals levels using internationally recommended sampling and analytical methods. Based on the results of past working environment measurement data and of our investigation, the overall current exposure to chemicals by semiconductor workers during routine production work appears to be controlled below occupational exposure limits. About 40% of chemical products used were found to contain at least one unidentifiable trade-secret substance. There are several situations and maintenance tasks that need special attention to reduce exposure to carcinogens as much as possible. In addition, a job-exposure matrix as a tool of surveillance system that can examine the exposure and health status of semiconductor workers according to type of operation and type of job or task is recommended.

We assessed the exposure of semiconductor workers to extremely low frequency-magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and identified job characteristics affecting ELF-MF exposure. These were demonstrated by assessing the exposure of 117 workers involved in wafer fabrication (fab) and chip packaging wearing personal dosimeters for a full shift. A portable device was used to monitor ELF-MF in high temporal resolution. All measurements were categorized by operation, job and working activity during working time. ELF-MF exposure of workers were classified based on the quartiles of ELF-MF distribution. The average levels of ELF-MF exposure were 0.56 µT for fab workers, 0.59 µT for chip packaging workers and 0.89 µT for electrical engineers, respectively. Exposure to ELF-MF differed among types of factory, operation, job and activity. Workers engaged in the diffusion and chip testing activities showed the highest ELF-MF exposure. The ELF-MF exposures of process operators were found to be higher than those of maintenance engineers, although peak exposure and/or patterns varied. The groups with the highest quartile ELF-MF exposure level are operators in diffusion, ion implantation, module and testing operations, and maintenance engineers in diffusion, module and testing operations. In conclusion, ELF-MF exposure among workers can be substantially affected by the type of operation and job, and the activity or location.

Introduction and objective: Bioaerosols exist in almost every environment and are known to be risk factors for a variety of diseases. Agricultural work involves high exposure to bioaerosols and its workplace concentrations affect the surrounding areas. The study evaluates bioaerosol...

Despite global restrictions like the Minamata Convention, heavy metal contamination in cosmetics remains a critical public health concern, with limited cross-country comparative data on heavy metal concentrations in cosmetics across Asian markets. We measured Hg, Pb, As, Cd, Sb, Cr, and Ni contents in 189 cosmetic products purchased in 2022 in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Samples were screened by handheld X-ray fluorescence; Hg was quantified by a direct mercury analyzer and As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Sb were quantified by ICP-OES. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to characterize metal co-occurrence patterns, and Monte Carlo simulation was applied to estimate dermal systemic exposure dose, hazard quotients (HQ), and lifetime cancer risk (LCR). Mercury in face creams exhibited extreme heterogeneity (range: ND-67,000 mg/kg), while eye cosmetics contained elevated Arsenic levels (median 4.13 mg/kg). PCA distinctively separated Hg (PC2) from geogenic metals (As/Cr/Ni on PC1), suggesting intentional adulteration. Probabilistic risk estimates indicated upper-tail non-cancer risk for Hg in facial creams (95th percentile HQ 6.32; P[HQ>1] = 24.4%). As produced the highest LCR estimates (facial cream 95th percentile 2.60 × 10⁻⁴). These findings indicate product-type-specific metal patterns and highlight a subset of facial products with extreme Hg levels that can drive substantial upper-percentile risk, supporting the need for targeted market surveillance and enforcement.

Maintenance workers in the electronics manufacturing industry are exposed to a diverse combination of gaseous and particulate substances, yet specific guidance for assessing their chemical health risks remains limited. The aims of this study are to develop a stepwise framework approach for qualitatively assessing hazard severity, exposure probability, and chemical health risks for maintenance workers at electronic manufacturing facilities, and to propose a method for categorizing these factors through occupational health risk assessment (OHRA). We developed a stepwise framework for qualitatively assessing the health risks posed by chemicals to maintenance workers in electronics facilities. This framework employs a semiquantitative approach using ordinal scores to evaluate the severity of chemical hazards and the likelihood of exposure, particularly in situations where representative measurement data for multiple chemicals are unavailable. The framework assesses hazard severity qualitatively by considering the number of chemicals and the presence of carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic substances or sensitizing hazards. A qualitative approach to estimating the likelihood of exposure is recommended, focusing on the effectiveness of engineering controls, the frequency and duration of maintenance works and tasks (MW), and the use of air jets. Two examples of a qualitative chemical OHRA for maintenance workers are given, one for a moderate hazard chemical integrating several exposure factors, and the second for MW on an ion implanter. Further research is needed to validate this method and to develop additional practical guidance for the assessment of chemical health risks associated with MW.