Knowledge, Practices, and Environmental and Occupational Health Risks Associated with Electronic Waste Recycling in Cotonou, Benin

Abstract

Objective: The e-waste recycling is increasing worldwide, yet there remain outstanding environmental and occupational health concerns. Most research conducted on e-waste recycling has focused on only few countries (e.g., China, Ghana), thus there is a need to increase understanding of e-waste workers' (recyclers') knowledge and practices in other locations, that is purpose of this study. Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted in Cotonou, Benin, 45 e-waste recyclers were interviewed from September to November 2018. Survey data was collected concerning their demographics, professional practices, and knowledge of occupational and environmental risks associated with e-waste recycling. Results: Most participants reported the following methods of material recovery of electronic items in declining orders: dismantling (97.8%) > sorting (91.1%) > incinerating (88.9%). Only 44.2% of the recyclers reported wearing ≥ 1 piece of personal protective equipment (PPE). More than 90% of e-waste workers noted that they disposed the e-waste in natural sites. About half, 46.7% believed that e-waste can pollute water and 71.1% considered that it can pollute air and soil. Recyclers reported several diseases including respiratory (67.4%), heart (62.8%), eye (65.1%), kidney (41.9%) and cancers (30.2%) could be linked to their work, respectively. Interestingly, we also found associations between the number of electronic items dismantled per month and self-report symptoms from the e-waste recyclers such as finding blood in urine and stool, wounds, dizziness, and itchy skin. Our results also indicated associations between the number of How to cite this paper: Houessionon,

Health Risks Associated with Informal Electronic Waste Recycling in Africa: A Systematic Review

“…Thirteen of the included studies were conducted among male e-waste workers, and only three studies [ 30 , 32 , 37 ] included female participants. Of the 17 studies, eight did not include a reference population, and the sample size ranged between 45 [ 38 ] and 740 [ 32 ].…”

“…The included studies assessed a wide range of health indicators including musculoskeletal diseases and symptoms [ 26 ], observed and self-reported physical injuries, and respiratory symptoms [ 27 , 30 , 31 , 37 , 38 , 39 ], markers of cardiovascular health [ 25 , 35 , 36 , 40 ], perceived stress [ 32 ], markers of respiratory health [ 21 ], noise-induced hearing loss [ 28 ], markers of hepatic damage [ 41 ], epigenetic modification (DNA methylation) [ 42 ], and markers of DNA damage [ 16 ] ( Figure 2 ). Ten out of the seventeen studies [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 41 ] used the e-waste recycling methods such as dismantling and burning as the main exposures, four studies [ 16 , 28 , 40 , 42 ] measured metals in the blood as the main exposure biomarkers, and three studies measured the breathing-zone PM as the main exposures [ 21 , 35 , 36 ] ( Table 1 ).…”

“…Six of the included studies in this review reported on musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) symptoms, self-reported health symptoms, and physical injuries associated with e-waste recycling activities, of which four were conducted in Ghana [ 26 , 27 , 37 , 39 ]; the remaining two studies were done in Benin [ 38 ] and Nigeria [ 30 ]. In general, the crude recycling methods such as manual dismantling, collecting, and open burning of e-waste were associated with an increased risk of health symptoms.…”

“…Findings from a multivariable Poisson regression showed that higher perceived stress levels, not using gloves, and higher perceived noise exposure frequency was significantly associated with a higher number of injuries [ 39 ]. The Beninese study [ 38 ], reported a high prevalence of injuries (88.9%), itchy skin (45.2%), melena (16.3%), and haematuria (14.2%) among individuals ( n = 45) involved in e-waste recycling, with the number of hours worked per day associated with haematuria, itchy skin, and airway obstruction. Similarly, Ohajinwa et al (2018) [ 30 ] documented the prevalence and injury patterns among informal e-waste workers ( n = 279) in Nigeria.…”

Sustainability for All? The challenges of predicting and managing the potential risks of end-of-life electric vehicles and their batteries in the Global South

“…In addition, the study concludes that there are knowledge limitations regarding the environmental and human health risks derived from this contamination and thus should be further investigated. Houessionon et al (2021) pointed out that there are geographical data gaps in areas like Africa, Oceania, Europa, America and even Asia (except China) and that there is still a need to carry out research in developing countries.…”