Warning---this computer may be hazardous to your health: Debating occupational health in the high-tech industry

Full of glossy images of what the future holds, high-tech gadgets that are revolutionizing the way we live give no indication of the large amounts of hazardous chemicals involved in making these products or the diseases that some claim are invading the bodies of workers who make micro chips, the basic building block for the products that many of us have come to rely on. This dissertation examines occupational health issues in the semiconductor industry. My focus is on cultural, social, and political conflicts related to the identification, measurement, and treatment of toxic contamination in the workplace. By focusing on the semiconductor industry, this dissertation serves as a case study in which broad questions about worker health and safety are examined and interpreted. This dissertation focuses on three themes: (1) the regulatory process, which includes OSHA's Permissible Exposure Levels; (2) accessibility of health and safety information, and the usefulness of this information; and (3) perceptions of risk. The research design for this project employs a variety of qualitative methodologies, including the use of in-depth interviews (both structured and informal), archival research, and contextual analysis. The study's findings suggest that workers in the semiconductor industry are largely unprotected from workplace toxins; that their illnesses often go undocumented; that workers often do not have access to vital information; and that the invisible, unknown and latent nature of risks from chemical exposure make it difficult for workers to make accurate risk assessments.