From inequitable to sustainable e-waste processing for reduction of impact on human health and the environment

Balázs, Andrea; Göen, Thomas; Scheepers, Paul T.J.; Adlienė, Diana; Batinić, Bojan; Budnik, Lygia Therese; Duca, Radu Corneliu; Ghosh, Manosij; Giurgiu, Doina Ileana; Godderis, Lode; Göksel, Özlem; Hansen, Karoline Kærgaard; Kassomenos, Pavlos; Milić, Nataša; Orru, Hans; Paschalidou, Anastasia Κ.; Petrović, Maja; Puišo, Judita; Radonić, Jelena; Sekulić, Maja Turk; Teixeira, João Paulo; Zaid, Hilal; Au, William W.

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.110728

Cited by 66 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The e-waste stream is complex because it contains many composite materials, such as circuit boards, cathode ray tubes, flat screen monitors, batteries, connectors and transformers, plastic casings and cables [ 13 ]. These waste materials contain a broad range of hazardous chemicals, including toxic metals, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) and organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants, phthalates, polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) [ 13 , 14 ]. Plastic materials may contain chemicals that were legal at the time they were manufactured, but are now either restricted or banned, such as lead, PCBs, some phthalates and some brominated flame retardants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a partnership with the recycling sector in Europe, HBM4EU can help to ensure the sustainable processing of e-waste. This may result in an increase in the share of processing e-waste that Europe is producing, using Europe’s own processing capability, instead of exporting e-waste [ 13 ]. By conducting an HBM study, we hope to contribute to stimulating good work practices that will lead to further improved protection of the worker’s health from the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals, including that of combined exposures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

HBM4EU Occupational Biomonitoring Study on e-Waste—Study Protocol

Scheepers

Duca

Galea

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Workers involved in the processing of electronic waste (e-waste) are potentially exposed to toxic chemicals. If exposure occurs, this may result in uptake and potential adverse health effects. Thus, exposure surveillance is an important requirement for health risk management and prevention of occupational disease. Human biomonitoring by measurement of specific biomarkers in body fluids is considered as an effective method of exposure surveillance. The aim of this study is to investigate the internal exposure of workers processing e-waste using a human biomonitoring approach, which will stimulate improved work practices and contribute to raising awareness of potential hazards. This exploratory study in occupational exposures in e-waste processing is part of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU). Here we present a study protocol using a cross sectional survey design to study worker’s exposures and compare these to the exposure of subjects preferably employed in the same company but with no known exposure to industrial recycling of e-waste. The present study protocol will be applied in six to eight European countries to ensure standardised data collection. The target population size is 300 exposed and 150 controls. Biomarkers of exposure for the following chemicals will be used: chromium, cadmium and lead in blood and urine; brominated flame retardants and polychlorobiphenyls in blood; mercury, organophosphate flame retardants and phthalates in urine, and chromium, cadmium, lead and mercury in hair. In addition, the following effect biomarkers will be studied: micronuclei, epigenetic, oxidative stress, inflammatory markers and telomere length in blood and metabolomics in urine. Occupational hygiene sampling methods (airborne and settled dust, silicon wristbands and handwipes) and contextual information will be collected to facilitate the interpretation of the biomarker results and discuss exposure mitigating interventions to further reduce exposures if needed. This study protocol can be adapted to future European-wide occupational studies.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

HBM4EU Occupational Biomonitoring Study on e-Waste—Study Protocol

Scheepers

Duca

Galea

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Despite the potential to cause health problems from occupational and environmental exposure to the hazards of e-waste, the economic benefit associated with recycling e-waste may outweigh the perceived health risks of workers. Because of this, researchers have proposed to study conditions to move to more sustainable informal e-waste processing [13], including the study of conditions and activities that lead to increased exposures [12,13]. For instance, in the past, greater exposures were observed for activities such as dismantling and the use of blunt instruments and electric saws [14,15], or the open-air combustion of materials [4], while other tasks such as e-waste repair or refurbishment may have lower exposures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We have previously described some aspects of our research in the study communities in both countries [16][17][18], and this analysis was conducted on a subset of participants from both countries. Thailand is a middle-income country with a Gini wealth equality index of roughly 35 out of 100 [19], and a known receptor of e-waste from developed countries [13]. There is minimal regulation on e-waste recycling activities, and there is a general lack of knowledge about e-waste, databases or inventories, and the absence of environmental management practices, while e-waste imports have been accumulating rapidly [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, Chile is a highly urbanized and centralized high-income country [22] with greater wealth inequality than Thailand (Gini index of roughly 44) [23]. Chile has not been systematically identified as a receptor of e-waste [13], although it is one of the major producers of e-waste in Latin America [24]. There is a small, formal recycling industry in Chile, but the extent of informal recycling is unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Work Task Association with Lead Urine and Blood Concentrations in Informal Electronic Waste Recyclers in Thailand and Chile

Shkembi

Nambunmee

Jindaphong

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The informal recycling of electronic waste (“e-waste”) is a lucrative business for workers in low- and middle-income countries across the globe. Workers dismantle e-waste to recover valuable materials that can be sold for income. However, workers expose themselves and the surrounding environment to hazardous agents during the process, including toxic metals like lead (Pb). To assess which tools, tasks, and job characteristics result in higher concentrations of urine and blood lead levels among workers, ten random samples of 2 min video clips were analyzed per participant from video recordings of workers at e-waste recycling sites in Thailand and Chile to enumerate potential predictors of lead burden. Blood and urine samples were collected from participants to measure lead concentration. Boosted regression trees (BRTs) were run to determine the relative importance of video-derived work variables and demographics, and their relationship with the urine and blood concentrations. Of 45 variables considered, five job characteristics consisting of close-toed shoes (relative importance of 43.9%), the use of blunt striking instruments (14%), bending the back (5.7%), dismantling random parts (4.4%), and bending the neck (3.5%) were observed to be the most important predictors of urinary Pb levels. A further five job characteristics, including lifting objects <20 lbs. (6.2%), the use of screwdrivers (4.2%), the use of pliers/scissors (4.2%), repetitive arm motion (3.3%), and lifting objects >20 pounds (3.2%) were observed to be among the most important factors of blood Pb levels. Overall, our findings indicate ten job characteristics that may strongly influence Pb levels in e-waste recycling workers’ urine and blood.

show abstract

What Would It Mean for Health Care Organizations to Justly Manage Their Waste?

Silva

Thiel

2022

AMA Journal of Ethics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Waste generated by health care includes harmful emissions and often disproportionately affects already vulnerable communities. Justly restructuring health care waste management involves better understanding key drivers of waste production, using sustainability as an ethical value to guide disposal decisions and practices, and reducing overall disposal quantity. Restructuring can be facilitated by making existing waste audit data transparent, incorporating waste accounting into social responsibility metrics used to evaluate health care organizational performance, and implementing policies that prioritize frontline workers' safety.The American Medical Association designates this journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ available through the AMA Ed Hub TM . Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. CasePrior to the COVID-19 pandemic, US hospitals produced 29 pounds of waste per bed per day-over 14 000 tons of waste per day. 1 Increasing numbers of clinicians, trainees, and students in a regional university academic health center have anonymously reported (via a hotline maintained by the organization's risk managers) inappropriate disposal of recyclable items, common refuse items, and red bag items (ie, medical waste, hazardous waste). Many students have also noted that applying disinfectant, donning personal protective equipment (eg, masks, gloves, gowns), and using high-volumes of water to thoroughly wash their hands and arms (colloquially known as "scrubbing in") is wasteful when they are seeming sufficiently distant from a sterile field protecting a surgical patient in an operating theater.Health care organizations pay to decontaminate red bag waste to make it safe for disposal (ie, by microwave or steam sterilization, chemical disinfection, or other processes) and must comply with federal, state, and local regulations about how disposal is done. 2,3 Some hotline reporters have noted that incorrect placement of recyclable or municipal waste in red bags incurs unnecessary costs to organizations and that processing (primary) red waste generates (secondary) air-and waterborne emissions that inequitably influence health outcomes in minoritized communities;

show abstract

From inequitable to sustainable e-waste processing for reduction of impact on human health and the environment

Cited by 66 publications

References 55 publications

HBM4EU Occupational Biomonitoring Study on e-Waste—Study Protocol

HBM4EU Occupational Biomonitoring Study on e-Waste—Study Protocol

Work Task Association with Lead Urine and Blood Concentrations in Informal Electronic Waste Recyclers in Thailand and Chile

What Would It Mean for Health Care Organizations to Justly Manage Their Waste?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About