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| The risk of leukemia among female workers was 1.55 times higher than that of all workers and 1.19 times higher than that of the general public. / Korea Times file |
By Kang Seung-woo
Women who work at semiconductor plants are more likely to develop leukemia, according to government data published Wednesday.
The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) said the risk of leukemia among female workers was 1.55 times higher than that of all workers and 1.19 times higher than that of the general public.
In addition, the risk of dying from the disease among the women was 2.3 times and 1.71 times higher than that of all employees and average citizens, respectively.
The finding came from a 10-year study of 200,000 former and current female employees at nine factories of six local chip makers, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix.
In 2008, the KOSHA announced the result of an epidemiologic investigation of a case, after a former Samsung employee, Hwang Yu-mi, died of acute leukemia in 2007, but due to a lack of observational data, it launched a follow-up study in 2009.
"Despite failing to find a specific cause for developing leukemia at the factories, we think that working conditions may have been a factor," the agency said.
"Female engineers and operators in cleanrooms had higher rates of leukemia and death, with those aged between 20 and 24 more prone to the cancer."
The cleanroom is a facility used for specialized industrial production or scientific research. In the semiconductor industry, mostly young women are engaged in production in the rooms.
