The New Mexico Health Department will re-evaluate parts of an air quality study that reported last month that health problems were not caused by an Intel Corp factory, a health official said on Friday.
The state's Health Department chose to review the study because some parts relied on computer models provided by Intel instead of independent observations, said state Health Department spokesperson Beth Velasquez.
The study was conducted by Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Gradient Corporation.
"Our environmental epidemiologists thought it would be a better indication if we had the actual data," Velasquez said.
The re-evaluation will take two weeks and a final report of recommendations is due to be released in June, barring any further delays, Velasquez said.
The independent study released last month concluded that Intel Corp, the world's largest chip maker, was not the cause of general pollution or of health problems, including shortness of breath, nausea and headaches, to the nearby residents of Corrales.
The study was commissioned by the US Environmental Protection Agency in April 2002 following complaints by the residents of the town. "Based on the science we've collected over the years, it does not give us reason to believe that we are a cause of health effects in the community," said Terry McDermott, spokesman for Intel.
Intel runs the world's largest microchip processing plant in Rio Rancho, just north of Albuquerque.
Organisers for Corrales residents applaud the re-evaluation, calling the initial findings false. "It was junk science," said Robby Rodriguez of the Southwest Organising Project.
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