The State : Pregnancy Study Planned

The Cupertino-based Semiconductor Industry Assn. agreed to conduct a national study to see whether miscarriages and other adverse health effects result from chip workers’ exposure to toxic materials. The announcement came at a meeting of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The industry’s trade association said it supports a board resolution calling for a “prompt” investigation by “highly credible independent scientists” acceptable to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the University of California and the state Department of Health Services. Concerns about the safety of semiconductor workers were raised by a 1986 study of female workers at a Digital Equipment Corp. plant in Massachusetts, which showed a high rate of miscarriages.