Occupational and Environmental Health Studies of RCA

Yi-Ping Lin

National Yang-Ming University

RCA Case

1994/6/2 Legislator Chao (趙

少康)

Groundwater pollution

EPA investigation

Contamination Clean-up

Geomatrix (USA) by GE/Thomson

Declared a failure in 1998

1998/6/1 Environmental

Quality Protection Foundation, CEO Chao (趙少康)

Former RCA workers organized

Government-Sponsored public health research projects

1994-06-03

產業與科學

Otto Wong

Otto Wong’s Risk Assessment

1995

“此地下水所含化學物質危害附近居民及員工健康的可能性微乎其微。”

1998-02-24

RCA Tao-Yuan Site in 1998

RCA Workers’ Organization

Polluted Groundwater at RCA

Lee LJ, Chan CC, Chung CW, et al. Health risk assessment on residents exposed to chlorinated hydrocarbons

contaminated in groundwater of a hazardous waste site. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2002;65:219-35.

RCA Health Impact Studies

Residents (EPA)

Animal Study

Male: Liver

Female: Breast

Health Risk Assessment

Increased Hazard Index

Mortality Odds Ratio

Male Liver Cancer

Workers (Council of Labor Affair)

Proportionate Cancer Morbidity Ratio

Female breast cancer

Standardized Mortality Ratio

None significant

Standardized Incidence Ratio

None significant

RCA Environmental Health Studies

Wang FI, Kuo ML, Shun CT, et al. Chronic toxicity of a mixture of chlorinated alkanes and alkenes in ICR mice. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2002;65:279-91.

Lee LJ, Chan CC, Chung CW, et al. Health risk assessment on residents exposed to chlorinated hydrocarbons contaminated in groundwater of a hazardous waste site. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2002;65:219-35.

Lee LJ, Chung CW, Ma YC, et al. Increased mortality odds ratio of male liver cancer in a community contaminated by chlorinated hydrocarbons in groundwater. Occup Environ Med 2003;60:364-9.

Evidence from Animal Study

Chemical Mixtures

Increased liver, kidney, and uterus and ovary total weights

Hepatocelluar neoplasms in male mice

Mammary adenocarcinoma in female mice

Environmental Health Risk Assessment

Lee LJ, Chan CC, Chung CW, et al. Health risk assessment on residents exposed to chlorinated hydrocarbons

contaminated in groundwater of a hazardous waste site. J Toxicol Environ Health A 2002;65:219-35.

Male Residents’ Liver Cancer

RCA Occupational Health Studies (I)

Chang YM, Tai CF, Lin RS, et al. A proportionate cancer morbidity ratio study of workers exposed to chlorinated organic solvents in Taiwan. Ind Health 2003;41:77-87.

Chang YM, Tai CF, Yang SC, et al. A cohort mortality study of workers exposed to chlorinated organic solvents in Taiwan. Ann Epidemiol 2003;13:652-60.

Chang YM, Tai CF, Yang SC, et al. Cancer incidence among workers potentially exposed to chlorinated solvents in an electronics factory. J Occup Health. 2005;47:171-80.

Crippled Database

RCA Workers?

1973-1992

員工總數：80,021

男性：14,885

女性：65,136 1979-2000

罹癌：1,710

慰助金：388

傷病訪視：100

1998成立

員工自救會

會員約1,000-2,000人

訴訟：226

2001

司改會

81名義務律師

2002

勞委會福利處

家庭訪視名單：約1,400

每人36,000

2002

工傷受害者協會

協助赴美求償等

美國律師

越洋官司？

2002

自救會要求補助醫療費用：

11人

1980-2000

死亡：1,951

1980-2000

癌症死亡：

438人

Young, Short-termed RCA Female Workers

Chang YM, Tai CF, Yang SC, et al. A cohort mortality study of workers exposed to chlorinated

organic solvents in Taiwan. Ann Epidemiol 2003;13:652-60.

Cancer morbidity of female RCA workers

Chang YM, Tai CF, Lin RS, et al. A proportionate cancer morbidity ratio study of workers

exposed to chlorinated organic solvents in Taiwan. Ind Health 2003;41:77-87.

Exclusion of durations of employment under 3 mos.

About 40% of employees

38% of cancer morbidity

39% of total death

41% of female total death

36% of cancer death

38% of female cancer death

Who were these young, short-termed female RCA workers?

Middle school graduates from rural Taiwan

來自全台各地的國中畢業生

Local high school collaboration projects

桃園地區的高中高職建教合作

14 to 17-year olds

Working, living, and eating in the factory

Sudden Deaths of Young Female Electronic Workers

Philco

8 deaths in 1970-72

Aged 15-21, working 23-59 days

Mitsusmi

7 deaths in 1969-72

Aged 17-19, working 17-40 days

Critical Period: From Puberty to First Pregnancy

Exposure to trichloroethane (TCE), perchloroethylene (PCE), and other industrial solvents

RCA Occupational Health Studies (II)

Sung TI, Chen PC, Lee LJH, Lin YP, Hsieh GY, Wang JD. Increased standardized incidence ratio of breast cancer in female electronics workers. BMC Public Health 2007;7:102.

Sung TI, Wang JD, Chen PC. Increased risk of cancer in the offspring of female electronics workers. Reprod Toxicol 2008;25(1):115-9.

Sung TI, Wang JD, Chen PC. Increased risks of infant mortality and of deaths due to congenital malformation in the offspring of male electronics workers. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol 2008.

Increased Breast Cancer

Differences Before and After 1974

Sung TI, Chen PC, Lee LJH, Lin YP, Hsieh GY, Wang JD*. Increased standardized incidence ratio of breast cancer in female electronics workers. BMC Public Health 2007;7:102.

有機溶劑中毒預防規則（1974/6-）

常用之有機溶劑約有二百多種。

有機溶劑中毒預防規則僅將毒性比較大，在作業場所較常使用者與以納入，計五十五種。

第一種有機溶劑：氯化烴 + CS2，共 7 種。

第二種有機溶劑：四氯乙烯、醇、醚、酯、酮、芳香烴 (甲苯)、正己烷等，共 41 種。

第三種有機溶劑：高分子量溶劑 (如柴油)，共 7 種。

有機溶劑之標示

三氯乙烯：第一種有機溶劑

三氯乙烯

第一種有機溶劑

(紅底白字)

甲

苯

第二種有機溶劑

(黃底黑字)

黏劑 (

含甲苯、丁酮)

第二種有機溶劑

(黃底黑字)

松節油

第三種有機溶劑

(藍底白字)

Reconstructing RCA’s Working Environment

Burnt company files

Insurance data?

Monthly reports

Labor examinations

8 violations (1975-91)

Master’s thesis (1988)

“Re-circulation”

Violated the law in 1988

Testing RCA Working Environment in 1988

排氣再循環？

該作業場所不論是否實施排氣再循環，其混存有機溶劑蒸汽濃度視為相加效應計算後，皆已超出容許濃度，個別化合物中又以丁酮、甲苯的暴露濃度較高。

Solvents Used at RCA

“Cleaners”

RCA Survey Interviews (2011)

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