Cancer mortality among US workers employed in semiconductor wafer fabrication.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate potential cancer risks in the US semiconductor wafer fabrication industry.


METHODS
A cohort of 100,081 semiconductor workers employed between 1968 and 2002 was studied. Standardized mortality ratios and relative risks (RRs) were estimated.


RESULTS
Standardized mortality ratios were similar and significantly low among fabrication and nonfabrication workers for all causes (0.54 and 0.54) and all cancers (0.74 and 0.72). Internal comparisons also showed similar overall cancer risks among fabrication workers (RR = 0.98), including process equipment operators and process equipment service technicians (OP/EST) employed in cleanrooms (RR = 0.97), compared with nonfabrication workers. Nonsignificantly elevated RRs were observed for a few cancer sites among OP/EST workers, but the numbers of deaths were small and there were no trends of increasing risk with duration of employment.


CONCLUSIONS
Work in the US semiconductor industry, including semiconductor wafer fabrication in cleanrooms, was not associated with increased cancer mortality overall or mortality from any specific form of cancer. However, due to the young average age of this cohort and its associated relatively low numbers of deaths, regular mortality updates of this semiconductor worker cohort are warranted.
Vanderbilt University Department of Medicine and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
John D
JD
Boice
Donald E
DE
Marano
Heather M
HM
Munro
Bandana K
BK
Chadda
Lisa B
LB
Signorello
Robert E
RE
Tarone
William J
WJ
Blot
Joseph K
JK
McLaughlin
D000368:Aged; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D012042:Registries; D012666:Semiconductors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014798:Vital Statistics
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational