Spring, 1997
Chemicals Poison Workers
by Leslie Byster
For years health professionals have been concerned that exposing high tech production workers to scores of toxic chemicals will result in an epidemic of human disease and tragedy. And, for years, high tech industry spokespersons have claimed that the clean rooms are safe, that everything is "well within OSHA limits", and that if there were a problem, there would be a body count. Saying they saw no body count, they have continued to say none exists.
Meanwhile, signs of a possible epidemic are starting to emerge and be documented.
In 1976 "Judy" was born with arms that end at her elbows and legs that end at her knees. Her dad worked at IBM in Fishkill, NY, where he blended the raw ingredients for photoresists--chemical mixtures at the core of semiconductor wafer fabrication. Her mother stayed home during her pregnancy and washed her husband's work clothes regularly.
When "Debbie" was born in 1980, her head size was considered small, but otherwise she seemed normal. Then two days later she went in respiratory distress, and her severe problems started to become apparent. Now 16, "Debbie" is severely retarded, blind, has a "trach" in her throat and can hardly walk. Throughout her pregnancy with "Debbie", her mother worked at IBM in Fishkill, NY, dipping metal components in heated solvents to clean them.
In 1982 a stir was created when organic solvents , often used by the so-called "clean" electronics industry, showed up in drinking water in a San Jose neighborhood near both Fairchild and IBM manufacturing facilities. Miscarriage rates were higher while the wells were "on line". The wells were eventually shut down.
Then "Hannah" was born in 1982 with an exposed spinal column ("spina bifida") requiring multiple surgeries--even so she is still very impaired. In the first six weeks of her pregnancy, "Hannah's" mother worked at IBM Fishkill, dipping electronics components in organic solvents to clean them.
By the early 80s, the toxicological literature clearly documented that various glycol ether-containing products used in clean room production could cause blood abnormalities and testicular damage.
In 1985, a polymer chemist in the Plastics Lab of Materials Analysis at IBM's San Jose plant asked IBM headquarters to look into the cancer deaths of four young co-workers from his small work group and to consider some sort of medical monitoring for the surviving members of the team. IBM told him the cancers were unrelated, that medical monitoring was too expensive and a waste of resources.
"Jeff" was born in in 1986 with a bird-like face, very short jaw, cataracts and retinal folds. He is legally blind and needs a trach to speak, even after multiple surgeries. "Jeff's" parents both worked at IBM Fishkill where they handled glycol ethers and other related clean room chemicals constantly.
In 1992 Johns Hopkins University reported the results of a year-long study of miscarriage rates at IBM's Fishkill plant and a sister facility in Burlington, VT. Significantly increased rates of miscarriage among women workers with the heaviest exposure to the chemicals used in the photoapply zone of the wafer fabrication process compared to unexposed women. Jobs in the photoapply area involve spinning photoresist onto silicon wafers. Dipping wafers in chemical developers, strippers and cleaners takes place nearby.
Footnote: The John Hopkins study also found that clean room workers took much longer to get pregnant than expected. The scope of the study did not specifically include birth defects, low birth weights, or reproductive problems in adult workers, but many workers have been left with the impression that the study looked and found no such problems.
Then in 1994 "Kenny", a former clean room worker at the Fishkill plant learned he had testicular cancer. After completing intensive chemotherapy, he began inquiring after the health of former co-workers. He discovered that among his immediate group of co-workers one other man had testicular cancer, a third had a testicular growth, and another had been battling Non-Hodgkins' lymphoma for several years. Two women from the group had brain tumors but were surviving. "Kenny's" efforts to locate one young woman in the group proved tragic: "Sarah" had died of colon cancer in 1991 at age 24.
In March of 1996 "Kenny" and several of his former co-workers brought suit against the chemical suppliers whose products they handled and were exposed to at the Fishkill plant. In August 1996 a second suit was filed covering the cancer claims of another 45 IBM Fishkill workers, 14 more claims of cancer death, and the claims of "Judy", "Debbie", "Heather" and "Jeff".
The plaintiffs also include numerous women with invasive cervical cancer and uterine cancer who worked for years in photoapply, develop, etch, and strip areas in the clean rooms at IBM Fishkill. There are also cases of fatal lung cancer in young non-smokers and brain cancer deaths in young workers. And "Kenny" knows that his co-workers with testicular cancer in the law suit are not the only IBM workers stricken with this disease.
IBM, the Internet and Dateline.
In June 1996 after two more members of the group had died of cancer, the polymer chemist from IBM's San Jose plant repeated his request to IBM for help. The text of his letter to IBM was posted on the web site of the Alexander Law Firm in the Fall of 1996 in an attempt to inform high tech workers of potential high-tech cancer hazards. This prompted IBM to run to court complaining that this entire internet posting was "improper". Was IBM afraid that the information might prompt still more IBM workers and maybe even managers and executives to come forward and divulge things IBM would rather the public did not know?
To allay any fear on the part of IBM and its attorneys that IBM managers or other "responsible" parties may not be able to resist divulging secret information either about chemical exposure or health problems among semiconductor fab workers in response to this story, plaintiffs' attorneys stress that their request for help is NOT directed at managers, executives, legal department workers or anyone who could "bind" IBM by their statements. Attorneys Amanda Hawes and Richard Alexander do note the irony in having IBM not only take issue with their use of the Information SuperHighway to reach high tech workers on health and safety issues but actually try persuade them that IBM should have a veto over the text of any Internet postings by plaintiffs' attorneys.
Leslie Byster is SVTC Program Director.
Plaintiffs' attorneys welcome information that may assist in securing just compensation for these high tech workers and their children. Contact them by calling 408-289-1779 for Amanda Hawes or e-mail at ahawes@alexanderlaw.com or by calling Andrew Bersin in Goshen NY: 914-294-3361 or: andybersin@aol.com.
Also, to date IBM may have pressured NBC's Dateline out of running its in-depth investigative piece on the Fishkill plant health tragedies. The in-depth TV show was filmed last summer, but has never been shown after IBM raised concerns. You can let NBC know that you want the Dateline piece to run by sending your e-mail or other message to: dateline@nbc.com
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