Exposure to Heavy Metals in Electronic Waste Recycling in Thailand

Abstract

Electronic waste recycling can release heavy metals into the environment and cause adverse health effects. We assessed the association between exposure to heavy metals from electronic waste recycling and the prevalence of asthma in a nested case-control study of 51 subject pairs with and without asthma. House dust, airborne dust, blood, and urine were collected from residents of two neighboring sites in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand. Multiple electronic waste-handling activities are conducted in the first site, while the second site is mostly agricultural. Concentrations of chromium, mercury, nickel, and lead in house dust and airborne dust were higher in the electronic waste-handling site (p < 0.05), but levels of exposure were similar in subjects with and without asthma. Although we did not find an association between exposure to these metals and the prevalence of asthma, control measures should be implemented to reduce health risks from long-term exposure to heavy metals.

Comparison of monoamine oxidase and selected heavy metal levels in the blood and the workplace among e-waste sorting workers in Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand

“…In this study, the majority of the exposed group was male (42; 55.3%), with a mean age of 48.00 ± 12.645 years, which was consistent with the study of Thanthisawapop et al [27], who found that the mean age of the exposed group was 48.07 ± 13.19 years. Moreover, most participants completed primary school education (55, 72.4%), consistent with the study by Kuntawee et al [3], which found that most of the EWSW in Thailand were primary school level. Suraraks and Nawwan [49] described that different education levels affect employees' financial compensation.…”

“…The concentration of Pb in the blood was consistent with the study by Kuntawee et al [3], which examined the blood lead levels of the exposure group, EWSW in Thailand, and the non-exposed group, farmers. In this study, no statistically significant difference in the blood lead concentrations was identified between the exposed and non-exposed groups.…”

“…They usually separate electronic waste (EW) around their house for sorting and exporting for further distribution to the EW disposal plant [1]. Therefore, they can be exposed to chemicals and heavy metals [2] such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni) [3,4,5] during electronic waste sorting [2,6,7].…”

“…Many risk factors may affect the biological indicators and the health effects of EWSW exposed to Pd, Cd, and Ni. These include personal characteristics such as gender, age, monthly income, education level, and body mass index (kg/m 2 ) [3,5,27,28,29,30]; behavioral factors such as smoking and drinking alcohol [31]; and job characteristics factors such as year of working [32] number of working hours [33], and working area size [34]; personal hygiene factors such as improper hand washing, delay to change their clothes after work, washing the body immediately after home arrival [32,35], lack of wearing personal protective equipment [36], and the amount of exposure to Pd, Cad, and Ni [4,37].…”

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mercury Exposure among Populations and Environments in Contact with Electronic Waste

“…E-waste recyclers in a Swedish facility had urinary mercury levels higher than measured in a control group of office workers [38]. In the e-waste recycling site of BanKok and the town of BanKlang, Thailand, urinary mercury was higher in participants involved with e-waste recycling compared to those not handling e-waste [48]. Hair mercury concentrations were higher among compact fluorescent light workers in Gaohong, China, compared with control residents [45].…”