Session: Challenging The Chip: Labor Rights, Health and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry

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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

4022.0: Tuesday, November 07, 2006: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM

Oral

Challenging The Chip: Labor Rights, Health and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry

From Silicon Valley in California to Silicon Glen in Scotland, from Silicon Island in Taiwan to Silicon Paddy in China, the health, social, economic, and ecological effects of the international electronics industry are widespread. The production of electronic and computer components contaminate air, land, and water around the globe, and electronics workers have suffered serious occupational health impacts. These same impacts have been documented throughout the entire electronics life cycle, from extraction of materials, to materials processing and manufacturing all the way to the end of life impacts throughout the world. This panel of experts in the field will document and discuss the implications of these impacts and will focus on the people suffering the consequences, who are largely poor, female, immigrant, and minority. They will also present potential solutions to address these problems. Several of the panelists are authors in the new book Challenging the Chip published by Temple University Press, which is the first comprehensive examination of the impacts of electronics is manufacturing on workers and local environments across the planet.

Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will learn about the health impacts linked to the global electronics industry and discussion of remedies. 2. Participants will learn about the environmental impacts linked to the global electronics industry and discussion of remedies. 3. Participants will learn about the worker and human rights impacts linked to the global electronics industry and discussion of remedies.

Moderator(s):

Ken Geiser

8:30 AM

Why We Are Challenging the Chip