Justine Calma writes about the health ramifications for early semiconductor factory workers in Silicon Valley. She focuses on the experiences of women like Yvette Flores, whose exposure to hazardous chemicals while working in chip manufacturing led to their children being born with disabilities.
She went back to work after what happened in the bathroom, still unaware of what risks she faced on the job. She didn’t suspect at the time that anything in her workplace could have led to the miscarriage. In 1979, when she was 22, she got pregnant with Mark. She kept working at Spectra-Physics until Mark was born with a severe intellectual disability, when she left her job to become his primary caregiver.