Exploring Risks for Reproductive Health and Cancer in Semiconductor Workers
Date Issued
2005
Date
2005
Author(s)
Hsieh, Gong-Yih
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
Background
Previous research on reproductive health and cancer risks of working in the semiconductor industry was limited and has produced conflicting results. No studies about reproductive health and cancer risks in semiconductor industry had been published in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to determine reproductive health and the cancer mortality of workers in semiconductor industry to follow up the concern that had been expressed.
Methods
Reproductive health study: Reproductive health outcomes included menstrual cycle function and subfertility measured by the interview questionnaire. The subfertility biomarker used time to pregnancy in this study.
Cancer mortality study: This retrospective cohort study that was established from Taiwan labor insurance database was designed to investigate the cancer risks in the semiconductor workers of Taiwan. The other information was founded by record linkage of National Mortality Registry dataset. We used the cancer standard mortality ratio (SMR) in the semiconductor worker cohort.
Verification and correction of error for death registration data: The method of this study is to verify the accuracy of the dataset of death registration for the DOH with the dataset from the MOI.
Results
Reproductive health study
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnancies between March 1990 and July 1997. Of a total 842 female workers, 719 agreed to be interviewed (a response rate of 85.5%). Among the participants which 173 workers were reported 292 pregnancies were analyzed in the subfertility study, and 606 questionnaires were valid in measuring menstrual cycle function. By using workers in non-fabrication as referents, workers in photolithography and diffusion had higher risks for long menstrual cycles. Workers exposed to ethylene glycol ether (EGEs) and isopropanol (OR = 5.0; 95% CI = 1.7 to 14.1) and exposed to hydrofluoric acid, isopropanol, and phosphorous compounds (OR = 3.5; 95% CI = 1.1 to 10.9) also showed increased risks of a long menstrual cycle. Waiting time to pregnancy of female workers in the photolithography area was longer than that of those in the nonfabrication area (fecundability ratio (FR) = 0.77; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.45–1.32), and those who were potentially exposed to ethylene glycol ethers showed longer time to pregnancy compared with those not exposed (FR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.37–0.94).
Cancer mortality study
From the linkage of dataset of National Mortality Registry, we found 191 deaths including 50 cancer cases. We found that leukemia (male: SMR=3.33, 95% CI =1.08-7.77; No=5 cases) in lag period for five years had potential risks. In this study, there were seven leukemia cases, among them, six leukemia cases were less five years working duration, there were three cases were employed after 1995.
Verification and correction of error for death registration data
Verification of the data from 1985-97, we refiled the missing demographic data and the missing ID no. into the dataset of the DOH. After linking the two datasets with the same demographic data, we were able to refile the missing IDs for all the death certificate data of the DOH during 1980-84.
Conclusion
Exposure to multiple chemicals including EGEs in photolithography might be associated with long menstrual cycles. This may play an important role in a prolonged time to pregnancy in the wafer manufacturing industry. This study provides further evidence that ethylene glycol ethers may cause female subfertility. Although, this study provided no substantial evidence that occupational exposure in semiconductor industry was associated with human leukemia risk, its potential risk needs to be followed up in the future.
Subjects
標準死亡比
職業暴露
月經週期
二醇醚類
生育力
半導體工業
癌症
fecundability
semiconductor manufacturin
cancers
Ethylene glycol ethers
menstrual cycle
occupational exposure
standardized mortality ratios
Taiwan
SDGs
Type
thesis
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