Multiple Elemental Exposures Amongst Workers at the Agbogbloshie Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Site in Ghana

Details

• Personal Author:
  Asampong E ; Basu N ; Fobil J ; Neitzel RL ; Perkins M ; Srigboh RK ; Stephens J
• Description:
  Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling is growing worldwide and raising a number of environmental health concerns. One of the largest e-waste sites is Agbogbloshie (Ghana). While several toxic elements have been reported in Agbogbloshie's environment, there is limited knowledge of human exposures there. The objectives of this study were to characterize exposures to several essential (copper, iron, manganese, selenium, zinc) and toxic (arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, mercury, nickel, lead) elements in the urine and blood of male workers (n = 58) at Agbogbloshie, as well as females (n = 11) working in activities that serve the site, and to relate these exposures to sociodemographic and occupational characteristics. The median number of years worked at the site was 5, and the average worker indicated being active in 6.8 tasks (of 9 key e-waste job categories). Additionally, we categorized four main e-waste activities (in brackets % of population self-reported main activity): dealing (22.4%), sorting (24.1%), dismantling (50%), and burning (3.4%) e-waste materials. Many blood and urinary elements (including essential ones) were within biomonitoring reference ranges. However, blood cadmium (1.2 µg/L median) and lead (6.4 µg/dl; 67% above U.S. CDC/NIOSH reference level), and urinary arsenic (38.3 µg/L; 39% above U.S. ATSDR value) levels were elevated compared to background populations elsewhere. Workers who burned e-waste tended to have the highest biomarker levels. The findings of this study contribute to a growing body of work at Agbogbloshie (and elsewhere) to document that individuals working within e-waste sites are exposed to a number of toxic elements, some at potentially concerning levels. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Arsenic Biomarkers Blood Cadmium Chromium Copper Demography Environmental Exposure Ferrous Compounds Hazardous Substances Hazardous Waste Hematologic Tests Inorganic Chemicals Lead Manganese Men Mercury Metals Nickel Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Recycling Safety Urine Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Exposure Assessment Biological Monitoring Blood Analysis Blood Sampling Cobalt Demographic Characteristics Electrical Equipment Elemental Analyses Elements Exposure Assessment Exposure Levels Exposure Limits Hazardous Waste Humans Iron Job Analysis Occupational Exposure Occupational Exposures Selenium Sociological Factors Toxic Materials Urinalysis Waste Disposal Waste Treatment Work Environment Zinc

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• ISSN:
  0045-6535
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  68-74
• Volume:
  164
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049650
• Citation:
  Chemosphere 2016 Dec; 164:68-74
• Contact Point Address:
  Niladri Basu, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H9X 3V9, Canada
• Email:
  niladri.basu@mcgill.ca
• CAS Registry Number:
  Arsenic (CAS RN 7440-38-2) ; Cadmium (CAS RN 7440-43-9) ; Chromium (CAS RN 7440-47-3) ; Cobalt (CAS RN 7440-48-4) ; Copper (CAS RN 7440-50-8) ; Iron (CAS RN 7439-89-6) ; Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1) ; Manganese (CAS RN 7439-96-5) ; Mercury (CAS RN 7439-97-6) ; Nickel (CAS RN 7440-02-0) ; Selenium (CAS RN 7782-49-2) ; Zinc (CAS RN 7440-66-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Chemosphere
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5aef8f6bbdfc6c22f73f294ac393848c6d8e64b465d9a43e4a111010f7facaa1344f01e6ccb69d5d943042681239d53b68f4907c836e7cf06dd4b2e2f36d281a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210335/cdc_210335_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 411.18 KB ]