ST Microelectronics today strongly denied responsibility for the death of a baby born prematurely to an employee.

Responding to a judicial protest by Bethany Cassar and her partner Claude Frendo, who claimed that the baby died after Ms Cassar had been exposed to melamine at her place of work, ST said it did not, and had never used, melamine at its Kirkop plant. What was used was a cleaning compound with melamine resin, but this had nothing to do with melamine because its chemical properties were completely different.

In a counter-protest, the company said there existed no connection between the loss of the baby and the processes involving cleaning sheets and the cleaning compound used by the Plant, and Ms Cassar had provided no medical evidence whatsoever to substantiate her allegations, which were completely unfounded.

The cleaning sheets and cleaning compounds had been used for many years by electronics factories throughout the world and they were covered by Material Safety Data Sheets which did not contain a caution regarding any possible detrimental effects that may be caused to a foetus.

ST further pointed out that it had been generous in helping Ms Cassar by accepting her request to work reduced hours during her pregnancy and also allowed her to be absent from work after she had used up all her sick leave allocation. At her request, she was also deployed to four different jobs of her own choice in the space of a year.

When Ms Cassar was on prolonged sick leave during pregnancy, members of her family requested that when she returned to work, she would be allowed to work reduced hours because there were fears that she was going to lose the child "as a result of genetic incompatibility." That request was met by the company.

On December 29, 2008, Ms Cassar herself wrote on an internet site that her child had died from polycystic kidney disease. She also wrote that the Mater Dei Hospital doctors from the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) who were caring for the child, had opined that the baby also suffered from Potter's Syndrome.

She wrote that: "there is a big chance that all of my pregnancies have the same problem and so we could not have children".

Polcystic Disease and Potter's Syndrome are two medical conditions of a genetic and hereditary nature.

ST Microelectronics totally repudiated all allegations made by Ms Cassar and Mr Frendo as well as in the press and said they were untruthful, defamatory and libelous. It called on the couple to desist from further defaming and damaging the company and held them responsible at law to make good the liquidation of all reparations and damages.