Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Yang, Jennie
• Bertram, Jens
• Schettgen, Thomas
• Heitland, Peter
• Fischer, Damian
• Seidu, Fatima
• Felten, Michael
• Kraus, Thomas
• Fobil, Julius N.
• Kaifie, Andrea

Titel

Arsenic burden in e-waste recycling workers – A cross-sectional study at the Agbogbloshie e-waste recycling site, Ghana

Ist Teil von

• Chemosphere (Oxford), 2020-12, Vol.261, p.127712-127712, Article 127712

Ort / Verlag

Elsevier Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2020

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The export of e-waste from industrialized to developing countries has led to the formation of a large-scale informal e-waste recycling sector in Accra, Ghana. During recycling processes, workers are exposed to several hazardous substances, such as heavy metals. As a common component of e-waste, inorganic arsenic can be released during e-waste recycling processes. The aim of this study was to assess the exposure to inorganic arsenic species in e-waste workers compared to a control group. N = 84 e-waste workers and n = 94 control subjects were included in this analysis. Inorganic arsenic species were determined in urine samples using HPLC-ICP-MS. E-waste workers showed higher median concentrations of As(III), As(V), MMA, DMA and the sum of inorganic arsenic in comparison to the control group. More than 80% of the e-waste workers exceeded the acceptable concentration (14 μg/L), which was significantly higher in comparison to the control group (70%). The tolerable concentration (40 μg/L) was exceeded in 17.2% of the participants, meaning a statistically relevant risk of developing cancer due to arsenic exposure throughout their (working) life. In conclusion, the exposure to inorganic arsenic is not only a problem of informal e-waste recycling, but a major public health concern that needs further investigation. •E-waste workers showed higher levels of inorganic arsenic compared to controls.•Burners had highest levels of inorganic arsenic in the e-waste group.•Inorganic arsenic concentrations in almost all workers exceeded the acceptable risk.