Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (한국산업보건학회지)

Korean Industrial Hygiene Association (한국산업보건학회)
권호 표지

Critical review of retrospective exposure assessment methods used to associate the reproductive and cancer risks of wafer fabrication workers

반도체 웨이퍼 가공 근로자의 생식독성과 암 위험 역학연구에서 과거 노출평가 방법 고찰

  • Park, Donguk (Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University) ;
  • Lee, Kyungmoo (Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University)
  • 박동욱 (한국방송통신대학교 환경보건학과) ;
  • 이경무 (한국방송통신대학교 환경보건학과)
  • Published : 2012.03.31
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Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to critically review the exposure surrogates and estimates used to associate health effects in wafer fabrication workers such as spontaneous abortion and cancer, as well as to identify the limitations of retrospective exposure assessment methods Methods: Epidemiologic and exposure-assessment studies of wafer fabrication operations in the semiconductor industry were collected. Retrospective exposure-assessment methods used in cancer risk and mortality and reproductive toxicity were reviewed. Results: Eight epidemiologic papers and two reports compared cancer risk among workers in wafer fabrication facilities in the semiconductor industry with the risk of the general population. Exposure surrogates used in those cancer studies were fabrication(vs. non-fabrication), employment duration, manufacturing eras, job title (operator vs. maintenance worker) and qualitative classifications of agents without assessing specific agent or job-specific exposure. In contrast, specific operation, job title and agents were used to classify the exposure of fabrication workers, contributing to finding a significant association with spontaneous abortion (SAB). Conclusion: Further epidemiologic studies of fabrication workers using more refined exposure assessment methods are warranted in order to examine the associations between fabrication work, environment, and specific agents with cancer risk or mortality as used in SAB epidemiologic studies.

Keywords

References

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