A microelectronics trade group has said it is to sponsor a study on cancer risks in semiconductor manufacturing facilities. George Scalise, president of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), said: ‘This industry has always looked for ways to improve the manufacturing processes that lower environmental impacts and improve the health and safety conditions for our employees.’ Critics have charged for years, however, that the chipmaking industry has stalled efforts to create good data on cancer and other risks in the plants. ‘It’s kind of a day late and a dollar short,’ said Ted Smith of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. Smith said the study could be a good sign but that its credibility would depend on who actually performed the research and on whether there would be a third-party oversight panel to certify the findings.
