MENSTRUAL CYCLES AND ETHYLENE GLYCOL ETHERS IN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING

Semiconductor fabrication employs a complex array of chemicals, including ethylene glycol ethers (EGEs). This month, Hsieh and colleagues report results from a study on the length of menstrual cycles among 606 female semiconductor workers.¹ Women whose jobs involved probable exposure to EGEs, which are suspected reproductive toxins, had 4–5 times the odds of long cycles (>35 days) compared to unexposed workers. Workers exposed to EGEs were also exposed to other chemicals, however. An accompanying editorial by Cordier …