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As Chipmaking Moved Overseas, Reproductive Health Issues Followed

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Samsung Electronic's semiconductor factory on March 2, 2017, in Hwaseong, South Korea. (Jean Chung/Getty Images)
Samsung Electronic's semiconductor factory on March 2, 2017, in Hwaseong, South Korea. (Jean Chung/Getty Images)

In the 1980s, many computer chips were made in the U.S., and the workforce that made them was about two-thirds women. A number of studies conducted at the time found that the chemicals used to make those chips caused significant health issues in women, including reproductive problems.

Major companies like IBM made public announcements to phase those chemicals out of the process. But today many women in South Korea — home of Samsung — continue to see similar health problems, according to a new Bloomberg Businessweek report.

Here & Now's Robin Young speaks with Bloomberg senior international correspondent Cam Simpson, who wrote the story.

This segment aired on June 20, 2017.

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