More than 1,000 Google employees may have been exposed to high levels of a hazardous chemical, a nonprofit news organization in the United States reported Wednesday.

According to the Center for Investigative Reporting, employees working at the tech giant’s new office complex in Mountain View, California, may have been exposed to trichloroethylene ― a chemical compound known to cause cancer or birth defects.

The incident took place from November 2012 to January 2013, and the amount of the toxic substance emitted exceeded levels considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The satellite campus of Google, located 4.8 kilometers from company headquarters, sits on a “Superfund” toxic waste site. Superfund sites refer to U.S. government-designated sites that have been found to harbor hazardous substances. The EPA identifies the parties responsible for the contamination and orders them to clean up the site.

Because the campus is built on a such a site, it requires a positive pressure ventilation system to constantly deliver fresh air and prevent harm from toxic vapors. The exposure occurred after workers at the company shut down part of the ventilation system for renovation.

More than 1,000 employees work in the two buildings where TCE was detected. Google confirmed the toxic exposure, but declined to specify the number of people exposed. Google spokeswoman Katelin Todhunter-Gerberg said the workers were not in danger.

“We take several proactive measures to ensure the healthiest indoor air environment possible in our workplace,” she was quoted as saying.

The EPA said it will take a “more aggressive approach to ensure prompt reaction” in cases of hazardous situations, and advised pregnant women who may have been exposed to consult their doctors.

A 2011 EPA analysis showed that exposure to TCE during early pregnancy increases the chance of heart defects in the child.

By Yoon Min-sik and news reports
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)