In a push to build more semiconductors in the United States, the Biden administration invested billions of dollars in new facilities. However, while the semiconductors may be vital to modern life, there are serious concerns over the health risks associated with the creation of these facilities, according to some environmental groups.
Environmentalists and labor unions are demanding more transparency when it comes to the chemicals going into and coming out of these computer chip factories.
In the past, chip factories have contained arsenic, chloroform and lead — chemicals that can destroy land and leak into groundwater. The industry claims that it has made strides since then and is working to limit pollution and change the chemicals used in chip manufacturing.
However, toxicologists argue that the substances involved in manufacturing change so often that it’s hard to determine the long-term effects of the factories on the environment around them before it’s too late. Some of the toxins previously associated with these factories are linked to cancers and miscarriages.
The semiconductor industry hopes to quell any concerns over safety and said that it will ensure hazardous materials on site pose no significant risk to nearby residents or workers.
Assessments from Intel and TSMC, who plan to build computer chip facilities in Arizona and Idaho, said that they will separate forever chemicals from other waste streams and use off-site disposal facilities.
Watchdog groups say that there is still uncertainty over where those chemicals will eventually go. In the past, forever chemicals have leaked into landfill sites and lingered in the air.
Meanwhile, federal funding for these projects depends on companies adhering to stricter environmental regulations.
