| Abstract: | Arsenic has been applied to many electronic devices such as electrophotoreceptors, gallium arsenide (GaAs) semiconductors and solid-state image pickup devices. For electrophotoreceptors selenium–arsenic (Se? As) alloys are coated onto the conductive substrate of the receptors. Arsenic is mostly used in electophotoreceptors in electronic devices. During the coating process, a part of the gaseous arsenic is released through an exhaust system. In order to avoid arsenic being discharged to the atmosphere, bag filters and high-efficiency particulate air filters are set before the exhaust port. Any arsenic which still exists in the waste water after washing tools and jigs from the coating process is collected by sedimentation before discharging. The Ames salmonella/microsome plate test for As2Se3 indicated no mutagenic activity under the test system used. For the safety of workers engaged in arsenic-related jobs, they received a medical examination once every six months. No negative trends from the examination was found in 428 men who received the examination from Autumn 1980 to Spring 1987. |
