May 08, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] An independent investigation committee tasked with checking the work environment at Samsung Electronics said on April 25 that it has found no clear evidence to link the chips and display lines with the illnesses suffered by some workers, although acknowledging there should be continuous studies.

After carrying out a three-year probe, the team of experts said it found no critically hazardous substances at Samsung’s production facilities.

The team also said it could not make a clear conclusion on whether working at the tech giant’s plants caused leukemia, brain tumors or miscarriages.

The committee was established in June 2016 to investigate the working environments of Samsung’s chip and display lines under an agreement with victims and their families who suffered from various diseases after working for the company.

Elaborating on the details, the team said the emissions of potentially dangerous substances at Samsung’s facilities in Giheung, Hwaseong, Onyang and Asan were within legal limits. The researchers added it conducted thorough investigations on 54 materials used in wafer production lines but did not find any to be dangerous to humans.

The team said it did find some toxic substances, such as toluene, but the amount was too small to be considered a health threat.

The radiation exposure of workers was also in line with legal limits, with researchers claiming the amount exposed by workers was effectively no different from those encountered by ordinary people.

The committee said Samsung should still continue to monitor the usage of toxic substances in line with fast-developing production technologies.

The team also said Samsung should report all toxic materials used at its facilities for workers’ right to know.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)