Levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and biphenyls (PCBs) in blood of informal e-waste recycling workers from Agbogbloshie, Ghana, and controls

Wittsiepe, Jürgen; Fobil, Julius N.; Till, Holger; Burchard, Gerd‐Dieter; Wilhelm, Michael; Feldt, Torsten

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2015.03.008

Cited by 89 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…The study by Asante et al (2012) on 20 male workers at Agbogbloshie established that toxic metal exposures occur, though this work was limited by a relatively low sample size, a single biomarker studied, and lack of key socio-demographic and occupational characteristics. Here we build upon the work by Asante et al (2012) as well as previous studies by our team at Agbogbloshie (Wittsiepe et al, 2015; Feldt et al, 2014; Akormedi et al, 2013; Asampong et al, 2015; Burns et al, 2016), and capitalize upon our growing collaborative relationship with the Greater Accra Scrap Dealers Association. The socio-demographic characteristics of the study population here is similar to previous studies at Agbogbloshie by our research team and others thus enabling comparisons to be made.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In brief, and as outlined in our past studies at Agbogbloshie (Wittsiepe et al, 2015; Feldt et al, 2014; Akormedi et al, 2013; Asampong et al, 2015; Burns et al, 2016), a community entry activity facilitated by the Greater Accra Scrap Dealers Association took place to notify and familiarize the workers with the study’s purpose and procedures. Inclusion criteria for participation in the study were age greater than or equal to 18 years old, and involvement in the e-waste recycling process for least the previous six months.…”

Section: 0 Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multiple elemental exposures amongst workers at the Agbogbloshie electronic waste (e-waste) site in Ghana

et al. 2016

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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 ug/L median) and lead (6.4 ug/dl; 67% above U.S. CDC/NIOSH reference level), and urinary arsenic (38.3 ug/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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 0 Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple elemental exposures amongst workers at the Agbogbloshie electronic waste (e-waste) site in Ghana

et al. 2016

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“…Blood samples of e-waste workers have been shown to exhibit elevated concentrations of heavy metals and flame retardants [14,15]. For the exposed population, sampled mean serum levels of cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, selenium, and zinc were significantly higher compared to a control group [14].…”

Section: Human Health Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the exposed population, sampled mean serum levels of cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, selenium, and zinc were significantly higher compared to a control group [14]. Of the polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) found in blood samples, 1,2,3,7,8-PentaCDD, 1,2,3,7,8,9-HexaCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HexaCDD, and OctaCDD concentrations are significantly more elevated in exposed e-waste workers than in subjects with no exposure [15]. …”

Section: Human Health Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a More Sustainable Trajectory for E-Waste Policy: A Review of a Decade of E-Waste Research in Accra, Ghana

Daum

Stoler

Grant

2017

IJERPH

116

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Global flows of e-waste from the Global North to the Global South continue to damage local environments and harm human health. Weak e-waste regulations and limited use of safety measures for e-waste workers in Accra, Ghana, foster an exploitative environment within the industry, and pose health risks for those working and living near e-waste processing sites. This paper presents an integrated review of over 40 e-waste studies specific to Accra, with particular emphasis on the well-studied e-waste processing site in Agbogbloshie, and synthesizes the existing research base across interdisciplinary themes of human health, environmental health, globalization, trade and informalization, and public policy. Despite significant international attention to Accra’s e-waste problem, loopholes within international environmental regulations and treaties provide few incentives and resources for Ghana to strengthen protections for human and environmental health. After a decade of e-waste research in Accra, the crisis continues to intensify; we present a renewed vision for sustainable e-waste policy reform in Ghana and beyond.

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“…They however observed that the research focusing on evaluating the design of the e-waste supply chain was moving towards a more holistic framework for sustainability assessment. A further review made within this study showed that: ‚ e-waste recycling programs and take-back schemes have been assessed against more than one bottom line of sustainability, such as [13,14] ‚ sustainability-related assessments on e-waste treatment processes found in the literature focused on environmental assessments or alternatively on social sustainability assessments; the former have been primarily delivered through a life-cycle assessment methodology, as in [15,16], whereas the latter, which focused primarily on health conditions of workers, have been made through in-depth interviews [17] and reporting of health-related indicators related to human toxicity [18].…”

Section: Sustainable E-waste Management Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards an Assessment Methodology to Support Decision Making for Sustainable Electronic Waste Management Systems: Automatic Sorting Technology

et al. 2016

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Abstract:There is a lack of structured methodologies to support stakeholders in accessing the sustainability aspects for e-waste management. Moreover, the increasing volume of electronic waste (e-waste) and the availability of automated e-waste treatment solutions demand frequent reconfigurations of facilities for efficient e-waste management. To fill this gap and guide such ongoing developments, this paper proposes a novel methodological framework to enable the assessing, visualizing and comparing of sustainability impacts (economic, environmental and social) resulting from changes applied to a facility for e-waste treatment. The methodology encompasses several methods, such as discrete event simulation, life cycle assessment and stakeholder mapping. A newly-developed demonstrator for sorting e-waste is presented to illustrate the application of the framework. Not only did the methodology generate useful information for decision making, but it has also helped identify requirements for further assessing the broader impacts on the social landscape in which e-waste management systems operate. These results differ from those of previous studies, which have lacked a holistic approach to addressing sustainability. Such an approach is important to truly measure the efficacy of sustainable e-waste management. Potential future applications of the framework are envisioned in production systems handling other waste streams, besides electronics.

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Levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and biphenyls (PCBs) in blood of informal e-waste recycling workers from Agbogbloshie, Ghana, and controls

Cited by 89 publications

References 68 publications

Multiple elemental exposures amongst workers at the Agbogbloshie electronic waste (e-waste) site in Ghana

Multiple elemental exposures amongst workers at the Agbogbloshie electronic waste (e-waste) site in Ghana

Toward a More Sustainable Trajectory for E-Waste Policy: A Review of a Decade of E-Waste Research in Accra, Ghana

Towards an Assessment Methodology to Support Decision Making for Sustainable Electronic Waste Management Systems: Automatic Sorting Technology

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