Maria has immigrated to the United States in search of a better job. She has gotten a job in a chip manufacturing plant in Silicon Valley, home of a booming economy. However, inside the factory, things are not always clean. Workers are exposed to toxic chemicals and are often not informed of the potential hazards. Information about the chemicals can be found in the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), but finding the sheets can be a challenge!

 

How to play You must have the Shockwave plugin installed Click on the opening screen to begin Use the left and right arrow keys to move. Use the space bar to jump. In level 1, avoid the toxic chemicals. Jump and hit the floor beneath the supervisors to knock them down. Go up to their floor and then push them over the edge. In level 2, you must catch 6 of the MSDS files without being caught. In level 3, talk to your co-workers to organize them. Start game

Silicon Valley displays many of the components of globalization. Technology companies have created fortunes for some people and they export their products throughout the world, yet at home and abroad, manufacturing workers and the environment are not sharing in the wealth.

The problems Maria faces are part of the toxic history of Silicon Valley and continue to this day. Chip-making plants and computer manufacturers make heavy use of cheaper immigrant and foreign labor, locate their factories in poor neighborhoods and countries, and get tax and pollution exemptions to do so.

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