Assessing Energy-Based CO2 Emission and Workers’ Health Risks at the Shipbreaking Industries in Bangladesh

Abstract

The study represents the estimation of energy-based CO2 emission and the health risks of workers involved in the shipbreaking industries in Sitakunda, Bangladesh. To calculate the carbon emission (CE) from three shipbreaking activities, i.e., metal gas cutting (GC), diesel fuel (FU) and electricity consumption (EC), we used the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Emission and Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) emission factors. Moreover, the geographic weighted regression (GWR) model was applied to assess the contribution of influencing factors of CE throughout the sampling points. To assess the workers’ health condition and their perceptions on environmental degradation, a semi-structured questionnaire survey among 118 respondents were performed. The results showed that total CO2 emissions from GC were 0.12 megatons (MT), 11.43 MT, and 41.39 MT for daily, monthly, and yearly respectively, and the values were significantly higher than the surrounding control area. Emissions from the FU were estimated as daily: 0.85 MT, monthly: 1.92 MT, and yearly: 17.91 MT, which were significantly higher than EC. The study also revealed that workers were very susceptible to accidental hazards especially death (91%), and pollution (79%). Environmental consequences and health risks of the workers in shipbreaking industry warrant more attention nationally and internationally at the industry-level.

Workers’ Exposure to Dust and Potentially Toxic Elements During Steel Cutting in Two Ship Dismantling Cases

“…The problem is not only limited to occupational exposure. Many other hazardous substances are commonly found near ship recycling yards, for example organic compounds (Nøst et al, 2015) or excessive emissions of CO 2 in areas surrounding ship recycling (Mitra et al, 2020). The metals detected in this study are also commonly detectable in sediments near ship recycling yards where they are probably due to cutting operations (Yılmaz et al, 2016).…”

Environmental hazards and health rights of workers in shipbreaking in Bangladesh

“…It creates huge work opportunities for poor people, but the working environment is mostly risky (Ahamad et al , 2021). Accidents, injuries and various diseases in this sector are common and regular (Mitra et al , 2020). The nature of the job in shipbreaking is strenuous, as the method of shipbreaking is structurally complex, greatly risking the health of the workers and the environment (Kutub et al , 2017).…”

“…These accidents happen for many reasons with the primary reasons being the lack of safety suits, training, awareness, measurement devices, ventilation and the very cramped working places (Rabbi and Rahman, 2017). Moreover, fire hazards are common accidents from improper gas freeing and monitoring procedures, resulting in huge health risks to the workers (Mitra et al , 2020; Rabbi and Rahman, 2017). Many minor accidents also occur in yards such as fire, gas explosion, falling from a height, toxic substance, hazardous materials, environmental prolusion, contamination and hazardous working conditions.…”

“…Moreover, the negligence of national and international health, safety and environmental rules and regulations are observed because of poor management and lack of proper practices (Kutub et al, 2017;Rabbi and Rahman, 2017;Karim, 2009aKarim, , 2009bDemaria, 2016). Many studies have already explored the impact of shipbreaking industries on the environment and human health (Mitra et al, 2020;Awan, 2013;Chowdhury, 2019;Hasan et al, 2013;Hossain et al, 2016;Haque, 2016;Hossain et al, 2008;Kutub et al, 2017;Gunbeyaz et al, 2019). However, the environment and health insecurity nexus because of lack of appropriate implementation of national and international standards of environment, and health and safety regulations so far remained unexplored.…”