Austin, Texas, Mother Seeks Damages against AMD Following Exposure to Toxic Chemicals

An Austin woman who gave birth to a son with deformities and cognitive defects is alleging in a lawsuit that her employer failed to protect her from hazardous chemicals and that two physicians were negligent in warning her of the dangers of exposure, PRforLaw LLC said in a statement. Named as defendants in the lawsuit filed yesterday in Travis County, Texas, District Court are Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Drs. George Marking and Alinda Cox.

The complaint alleges breach of warranty, fraud and fraudulent concealment, negligence and misrepresentation. It is seeking unspecified monetary damages. The mother, Maria Ruiz, an employee at AMD, worked in the company's so-called "clean room" between 1988 and 2002 and was exposed to ethylene glycol monoethyl, 2-ethoxyethyl acetate and ether acetate, all considered toxic chemicals. The suspected toxins caused birth defects in Ryan, her newborn son.

These defects are still affecting his life adversely to this day. She also alleges that in at least two incidents, she inhaled chemical fumes, which required her to seek immediate medical care, PRforLaw said. Ruiz alleges that Marking and Cox failed to warn her of the dangers of being exposed to toxic chemicals. The plaintiff discovered she was pregnant in 1991 after a physical examination required by AMD and conducted at the Austin Regional Clinic by Marking and Cox. Ruiz asked the physicians about the health risks of working at AMD's clean room but the doctors returned her to work there, regardless of any potential risks, according to the press release.

The boy suffered a missing right arm below the elbow, cognitive deficits and brain injury. Ryan Ruiz, now 16, is the lead plaintiff in the complaint. "Maria Ruiz worked with hazardous chemicals that caused her son's devastating birth defects," attorney Adam S. Ward, who is representing Ruiz, said in a statement. Steven J. Phillips, a co-counsel in the lawsuit and based in New York, said clean rooms are specifically designed to keep away dust particles from semiconductor wafers over a long period of time.