November 2008
Exposure to Methanol Vapors During Cleaning of Semiconductor Wafers*
Our Challenge
- We were retained to assess worker exposure to methanol vapors during cleaning of semiconductor wafers in a manufacturing setting.
Our Approach
- We conducted both modeling and simulation studies to quantitatively estimate the short and long term airborne concentrations of methanol.
- Breathing zones and area concentrations around several workers at varying ventilation rates were measured for two simulated exposure scenarios.
Our Findings
- The results of this simulation suggested that the use of methanol to clean semiconductor wafers without the use of local exhaust ventilation and with relatively low room ventilation rates is unlikely to result in worker exposures exceeding the current ACGIH threshold limit value of 200 ppm.
- Findings were peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene: S. Gaffney et al., Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene 5, 313 (2008).