Are Samsung And Apple Factories Using Cancer Causing Chemicals?
Advocacy groups have claimed that chemicals being used in processor chip factories which supply Apple and Samsung are causing workers to develop leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
By Sadho Ram — 25 Apr 2014, 04:19 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
According To Advocacy Groups, Dangerous Chemicals Are Killing Workers In Factories That Assemble Processor Chips For Apple And Samsung Smartphones
Advocacy groups have claimed that chemicals being used in processor chip factories which supply Apple and Samsung are causing workers to develop leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Worker representatives, advocacy groups and academics are demanding manufacturers lift their standards to eradicate the dangerous conditions causing occupational leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
With More Than 100 Victims And Counting, The Groups Claim Companies Have So Far Turned A Blind Eye
Samsung is yet to pay compensation to workers alleged to have died as a result of inhaling dangerous chemicals in its smartphone chip factories.
Image via policymic.comIt is alleged that the companies have so far ignored the working conditions that are believed to have resulted in more than 100 victims of these diseases, with talks between Samsung and a workers' rights group to discuss the issue reportedly brought to a halt by the South Korean firm.
The Problem Originates In 'Clean Rooms', Where Semi-Conductors, Used In Electronics Such As Smartphones And LCD TVs, Are Produced
Samsung is yet to pay compensation to workers alleged to have died as a result of inhaling dangerous chemicals in its smartphone chip factories
Image via ibtimes.co.ukOnly armed with 'white bunny-suits' designed to minimise contamination, workers frequently handle and inhale chemical cocktails whose purpose is to sterilise materials, including wafers.
These chemicals include benzene, a carcinogen, and trichloroethylene, which are known to cause occupational leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. As the air is rapidly re-circulated, these enclosures incubate the cancer
In 2012, University Researchers Investigated 17 Korean Workers At Samsung's Giheung Semiconductor Plant Who Had Contracted The Cancers
They recommended all workers should immediately be protected from the potential exposures to chemicals. However, they said more research was required to prove a formal link with cancer and semiconductor production, because Samsung hadn't granted access to the working conditions.
policymic.comTwo films were released this spring detailing the epidemic. One of the two immortalized the death of young worker Hwang Yu-mi, who died at 22. The other, The Empire of Shame, is a documentary about the rising cases of illness in the factories.
A Korean-Based Worker Rights Group Has Been Assisting More Than 50 Samsung Workers Trying To Claim Workers' Compensation From The Government
Supporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry (SHARPS) says “Samsung denies all responsibility” for the cancer deaths
Image via hazards.orgSupporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semiconductor Industry (SHARPS), a Korean-based worker rights group, has been working since 2007 to bring compensation to workers and their families through the Korean government's workers' compensation fund.
The government's workers' compensation fund initially refused to pay the victims, or their families, said SHARPS spokeswoman Dr Jeong-ok Yoo Kong. These decisions were subsequently overturned by the courts.
Now The South Korean Government With Samsung's Help Is Appealing To The Country's High Court
Samsung has reportedly been very active in the appeal process. "Samsung has been joining the lawsuit to support the government as a 'name of reference' for the defendant," Dr Jeong-ok Yoo Kong, a spokesperson for SHARPS, told the Sydney Morning Herald. The victims want the government to pay compensation in order to set a precedent for all Samsung workers. "They just want to open the door," she said. The case will next be heard on May 15.
SHARPS's Dr Kong said Samsung last week pulled out of a meeting with SHARPs to negotiate three outcomes: an apology; compensation; and introducing prevention measures, including a third-party audit. "They may think about closing the official negotiations and just take the simple way, easy way, and pay out some money. That's it. That's what I am worrying about: their sincerity."
A Justice Party Pepresentative Plans To Introduce A Bill Into The South Korean Parliament Forcing Samsung To Apologise And Compensate The Victims
A representative of parliament, Justice Party representative Sim Sang-jung, is also planning to introduce a bill that would urge Samsung to remunerate and make apologies to affected workers and their families. Kim Jun-shik, an executive vice-president of Samsung Electronics, last week told reporters in South Korea that the company is reviewing the proposals "in a sincere manner", and will make an official response soon. The company maintains a web page with information on benzene. It says it does not use benzene in its fabrication processes, but that researchers have found traces of it in its factories.
policymic.comAlso, Allegations Of Poor Chemical Safety In Factories In China Led To A Plea Last Month From Pressure Groups In China And US For Apple To Stop Using Harmful Chemicals In The Production Process
In China, 52 workers diagnosed with occupational leukaemia signed a declaration to ban benzene. Many of these worked at factories in Hubei where semiconductors are fabricated for the iPhone. China Labor Watch and Green America called for Apple to "stop needlessly exposing workers in Chinese manufacturing facilities to toxic chemicals now causing severe illnesses".
The groups believe that alternative non-carcinogenic chemicals are available that would cost the Apple and other companies "a shockingly small amount of money". In a statement to the Guardian, Apple said that it required suppliers to meet the safety standards for the handling of hazardous chemicals as set by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
theguardian.com
The two groups claim that still more needs to be done to address the failings of electronics manufacturing safety. "We are targeting Apple because it has given itself a tremendous amount of responsibility but actions speak louder than words," said Kevin Laten, programme co-ordinator at China Labor watch."It has the potential to drive change because of the sheer size of its manufacturing base in China."
WATCH: The Case Of One Worker, 27-Year-Old Ming Kunpeng, Was Documented In The Film 'Who Pays The Price?'
27-year old Ming Kunpeng committed suicide last Christmas, when iPhone, iPad and smartphone beneficiaries were happily swiping-and-tapping on their gifts.