Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Had Hazardous Chemical Discharge Without Notification

TapTechNews July 8th, according to reports from Nikkei and Japan's Jiji Press. On the local time 8th (today), the semiconductor manufacturer Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation under Sony Group announced that there was a situation where hazardous chemical substances were discharged to the outside of the factory without notification.

The company said it was due to input errors and an imperfect confirmation system. During the fiscal years 2021 and 2022, the camera image sensor factory located in Kikuyo-machi, Kumamoto Prefecture, incorrectly reported the emission of its chemical substances as 0, while the actual situation was the emission of untreated waste. The discharged substance by this factory is hydrogen fluoride, which is often used in semiconductor processing and cleaning.

TapTechNews note: Hydrogen fluoride is harmful to the human body. Inhalation can lead to respiratory diseases and even endanger life.

Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation stated that it will correct and report the relevant situation to the county government before the end of July, and will also check the data of factories other than Kumamoto submitted in the past. In case of omissions or errors found, it will report to the relevant authorities and correct them as soon as possible.

According to the disclosed information, in addition to the failure of the update of the counting system during the input process, there is also human error.