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South Korea says Samsung chip plant caused cancer

SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean government agency says working at a Samsung Electronics factory caused the breast cancer of a worker who died earlier this year.

Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service said Friday there was a considerable causal relationship between the woman’s cancer and her five years of work at a Samsung semiconductor plant in South Korea.

The agency under the labor ministry said she was exposed to organic solvents and radiation at Samsung. It reviewed records from other countries that showed night shifts are related to a higher chance of breast cancer and that exposure to hazards at a young age is more likely to cause cancer.

The woman worked for Samsung from 1995 to 2000. She died in March, aged 36, three years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

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