Computer Manufacturing Employees and Cancer Risk

Cancer-related mortality is considerably higher among people who work in computer manufacturing industry, says a report in the journal Environmental Health.



Similar findings have been reported among employees who work in plants that manufacture computers, semiconductors, integrated circuits and other components, Dr. Richard W. Clapp, an epidemiologist at Boston University School of Public Health, has found.



"When comparing four plants around the country, the findings were remarkably similar, in revealing excess cancers of the brain, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and kidney, primarily among manufacturing workers," says Dr. Clapp.



There were also excessive numbers of deaths due to multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the study shows.



Among the reasons for this morbid statistics, Dr. Clapp lists the routine routinely exposure of workers to carcinogenic substances such as solvents and chemicals such as photoresist, metals, such as arsenic, nickel and chromium, electromagnetic fields, especially ultraviolet light, radio frequency, and X-ray radiation.