Technology

Making semiconductors without toxic chemicals is hard. Making factories that don't leak is not.

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Online, OSHA lists its own standards alongside more stringent thresholds developed by California, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the nonprofit American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).

They’re constantly under attack by the regulated community,” says Tracey Woodruff, an expert in chemical and regulatory policy and the director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at the University of California, San Francisco.

The husband and wife team have joined a new coalition called Chips Communities United, which also has backing from Sierra Club, the Communications Workers of America union, and other labor groups.

On top of hiring diverse staff and respecting the right of workers to organize, they’re calling on companies to replace chemicals that can cause cancer, miscarriages, or birth defects and fetal brain damage.

“While there are many chemicals used in our facilities, the equipment used to process wafers in our fabs is required to achieve SEMI’s [a trade group] semiconductor industry standards during normal operations and maintenance activities,” Intel spokesperson Chelsea Hughes said in an email.

The chemical cocktail changes faster than toxicologists can keep up with, says Bruce Fowler, an adjunct professor of environmental health at Emory University and co-founder of Toxicology and Risk Assessment Consulting Services.

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