Saturday, November 10, 2007

AMD sued by worker whose child has birth defects

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A former AMD clean room worker has filed suit against the chipmaker in Texas, alleging that her exposure to dangerous chemicals while working in a chip fab resulted in her son Ryan's birth defects, including cognitive disabilities and an undeveloped right arm. Maria Ruiz worked for AMD from 1988 to 2002, and when she discovered she was pregnant, she approached both her doctors and AMD and was allegedly not warned of any risks she faced in the workplace. Maria is now claiming that her exposure to ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate and 2-ethoxyethyl acetate during her pregnancy caused Ryan's birth defects, and she's suing AMD and her doctors over their failure to keep her safe. According to her lawyers, Maria "did not realize that 'clean rooms' are designed to keep damaging dust particles from semiconductor wafers during manufacturing, not to protect men and women exposed to a spectrum of hazardous chemicals and fumes." The case is still in its very early stages, so none of the allegations have been proven and AMD hasn't formally responded yet, but either way we have nothing but sympathy for the Ruiz family.

 

[via] Engadget

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