ST Microelectronics deny baby death claims, file counter protest
Matthew Vella
Semiconductor manufacturer ST Microelectronics has denied responsibility for the death of a baby born prematurely to employee Bethany Cassar.
Yesterday, the company filed a counter-protest in Court, to claims by Cassar and her partner Claude Frendo, who contend their baby died after Cassar was exposed to melamine at her place of work.
St Microelectronics stated in court that Cassar was employed in its plant at Kirkop, and said that the substance melamine is not used and has never been used.
Melamine is an organic base used for the production of countertops, Dry erase boards, fabrics, glues, houseware, flame retardants, and concrete.
Cassar claimed in her protest that she was left ‘exposed’ to melamine for some three months, after repeatedly asking the health and safety officer to give her a different station because she was pregnant.
However, the firm wrote in its protest that on 29 December, 2008, Cassar wrong on the internet site forums.wrongdiagnosis.com, that her child had died from polycystic kidney disease.
The firm claims she also wrote that the doctors at Mater Dei’s special care baby unit had opined that her baby suffered from Potter’s Syndrome, which is caused by renal disease. In their counter-protest, the firm said Cassar wrote: “there is a big chance that all of my pregnancies have the same problem and so we could not have children”.
St Microelectronics said polycystic kidney disease and Potter’s Syndrome are both genetic and hereditary and “consistent with the terminology used in the protest as being the cause of the child’s death.”
“When Cassar was on prolonged sick leave during pregnancy, members of her family requested that when she returns to work she would be allowed to work reduced hours, because there were fears she was going to lose the child as a result of genetic incompatibility, which request was met by the company,” ST Microelectronics said.
St Microelectronics said that the chemical composition of the cleaning sheets which Cassar said caused the death of her child, do not include any melamine. The cleaning sheets are used to clean the machines using a compound in the form of pellets.
“One of the cleaning compound constituents is a melamine resin which is vastly diverse to melamine and has completely different properties. The cleaning sheets and cleaning compound have been used for many years by electronics factories throughout the world, including the United States and Europe, to clean electronic machinery,” St Microelectronics said.
The firm said that the manufacture of chemical products is obligatorily subject to the issue of a Material Safety Data Sheet, which carries essential information highlighting whether the use of a chemical product carries any health hazard for users.
“The manufacturers of the cleaning sheets and the cleaning compound are manufacturers of very high repute. These issued Material Safety Data Sheets for these products and these sheets do not contain a caution regarding any possible detrimental effects that may be caused to a foetus,” ST Microelectronics said.
The firm added that the Kirkop plant, including the moulding section were Cassar worked, was in certified by Bureau Veritas to be in conformity with health and safety criteria.
“There is no connection linking the loss of the child to processes involving cleaning sheets and cleaning compound as used by the plant; the protesting party has provided no medical evidence whatsoever to substantiate the allegations which are completely unfounded,” ST Microelectronics said.
ST Microelectronics said it also accepted her request and gave her the concession of being absent from work after using up her sick leave allocation, as well as being deployed to four different jobs of her own choice over the year.
The company said all allegations were “untruthful, defamatory and libellous”.
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