Employees involved in manufacturing microchips don special white suits reminiscent of those worn by crews handling hazardous materials or medical personnel dealing with highly contagious diseases. Sometimes called "bunny suits," the protective clothing worn in microchip processing plants is necessary to keep hair, skin, and dust particles from getting into the tiny microchips. One speck of dust could cause the microchip to malfunction, so precautions are taken to keep the environment free of such particles. In addition, employees must remove makeup, wear gloves and cover their shoes with booties, and go through an air shower before entering the work area.