Work in brief
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 …
