Last Updated on August 9, 2024
An industry insider told NATIONAL FILE that the semiconductor industry could be massively damaged by the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is targeting substances called PFAS. The insider explains:
“After the PFAS National Primary Water Regulation was issued, semiconductor and chemical manufacturers became increasingly concerned about the government restrictions on the use of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Indeed, PFAS cannot be totally replaced in some industries.
The Semiconductor PFAS Consortium, an organization launched by Semiconductor Industry Association, is comprised of chipmakers and members of their supply chain including chemical, material, and equipment manufacturers, aiming to collect the technical data needed to explain the key role and irreplaceability of PFAS in the semiconductor sector. The scope includes:
Gathering and vetting of technical PFAS-use information relevant to the semiconductor industry
Developing socioeconomic impact analysis
Providing tools needed to support industry commitments to track and reduce PFAS
Identifying research needs and drafting plans to address them appropriately
Developing technical reports, presentations, and position papers
The Consortium is not focused on advocacy.
Currently, there are ten technical papers available on the website of the consortium. These papers summarize the PFAS use in the semiconductor industry, and the significant technical challenges to implementing alternatives if PFAS uses were restricted. Two socioeconomic papers provide insights into the socioeconomic consequences of a PFAS restriction in semiconductor manufacturing. PFAS Release Mapping Series, including seven papers, identifies the principal PFAS environmental release pathways in semiconductor manufacturing and provide a generalized template for the development of specific semiconductor PFAS release quantification models. To access the detailed information, people have to apply on the consortium website and get its approval.
3M Company, a manufacturer of industrial products, once made a huge compensation owing to its PFAS pollution. It remains unknown whether the members of the consortium will face similar challenges in the future.”
