LONDON, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite the union has today on Workers' Memorial Day called the approach by the semiconductor industry, in response to the Health and Safety Minister's support for the view that the industry should fund a national study into occupational cancer risk in the computer and semiconductor manufacturing industry, as curious and perplexing.

Unite, the largest union in the UK, is pressing for the UK computer components/ semiconductor industry to initiate industry wide research into cancer risks in the industry. The union, in particular, wants the industry to institute the research proposed by the HSE/DTI Feasibility study published in 2005. This follows new evidence from the United States.

Following a meeting with Unite, the Health and Safety Minister, Lord McKenzie, wrote to senior executives in the semiconductor industry to formally raise with them Unite's concerns about cancer risks in the industry, and also set out his view that the industry should fund a national study.

The semiconductor industry has now responded by saying that they believe "there is no clear evidence of work-related cancer in the semiconductor industry and does not accept there is a need to conduct an industry-wide study."

Peter Skyte, Unite National Officer, said: "This is in our view an Alice in Wonderland approach. It is precisely because there is no clear evidence that we, the government and the HSE see the need for a national study. If there were compelling evidence of an increased risk of occupational cancer, there would not be a need for the study.

"Today is Workers' Memorial Day around the world and government, health and safety agencies and employers must act urgently to reduce any potential cancer risk to stop more people dying in years to come."

Taken with previous studies covering Scotland and the West Midlands, Unite believes there is sufficient evidence to suggest there may be long term health risks to current and former workers in the semiconductor, chip and computer sector at key sites in Scotland (Greenock, East Kilbride, Livingston and Glenrothes), North West (Oldham and Stockport), North East , East Midlands (Lincoln, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire), Plymouth, Chippenham, Wales (Cardiff and Newport), and Southampton.

Note to Editors:

1. A US study by Dr Richard Clapp of Boston University looking at death records of men and women who had worked for IBM in the United States found 'significantly greater' cancer deaths than expected based on the national average

2. Several individual cancers showed particularly high rates, including cancers of the digestive organs, kidneys, brain and central nervous system and malignant melanoma of the skin. Amongst women, breast cancer, lung cancer, female genital cancer, brain and nervous system cancer rates were all elevated compared with national averages.

3. There are a variety of exposures to chemicals, metals (especially arsenic, nickel and chromium), and electromagnetic fields such as ultraviolet light, radiofrequency and x-ray radiation in computer and semiconductor manufacturing.

For further information please contact Peter Skyte on: +44(0)7768-93-13-02 or Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite Press Office on +44(0)20-7420-8900 or +44(0)7980-224-761