California Classes LED Component Gallium Arsenide a Carcinogen

Reader LM741N, pointing to a report released this month by California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, writes "Gallium Arsenide has now been listed as a carcinogen. Given the increasing usage of gallium arsenide, the main constituent in LEDs, and their recent championing as more efficient light sources in recent news stories and Slashdot, there may be significant environmental concerns as related to their disposal. Morover, workers in industries using the substance may be at risk of cancer as well."

Comments

Re:Known to cause cancer...

[lgw]

It's not jus the building, it's the cars! I'm still struggling to believe this - at first I thought the stickers (on the drivers window, no less) were some kind of meme/joke on the notices on every building, but no! Your tax dollars at work.

Here's a hint, hippies: when every building and car has a sign on it warning that this area contains chemicals known to cause birth defects and cancer, it makes the warnings a joke. It also makes you a joke. It doesn't do anything to change the chemicals used in manufacture, butcause no one takes the signs seriously.

Also, I'm sure there are a few places where the levels of dangerous chemicals are genuinly dangerous, but I'll blunder right into them because every place has the same damn warning.