Prevention-intervention strategies to reduce exposure to e-waste

Heacock, Michelle; Trottier, Brittany A; Adhikary, Sharad; Asante, Kwadwo Ansong; Basu, Niladri; Bruné, Marie Noel; Caravanos, Jack; Carpenter, David O.; Cazabon, Danielle; Chakraborty, Paromita; Chen, Aimin; Barriga, Fernando J.A.S.; Ericson, Bret; Fobil, Julius N.; Haryanto, Budi; Huo, Xia; Joshi, Tushar Kant; Landrigan, Philip J.; Lopez, Adeline R.; Magalini, Frederico; Navasumrit, Panida; Pascale, Antonio; Sambandam, Sankar; Kamil, Upik Sitti Aslia; Sly, Leith; Sly, Peter D.; Suk, Ann; Suraweera, Inoka; Tamin, Ridwan; Vicario, E. Dello; Suk, William A.

doi:10.1515/reveh-2018-0014

Cited by 46 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) is growing worldwide (Heacock et al, 2016;Heacock et al, 2018). It is largely an informal sector activity situated in low-and middle-income countries thus drawing from populations whose dietary intake do not have the full complement of required micronutrients (Basu et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Micronutrient Status of Electronic Waste (E-waste) Recyclers at Agbogbloshie (Ghana) Using Dietary Information and Biomarker Data

Takyi

Basu

Arko‐Mensah

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Growing evidence suggests that heavy metals (e.g., cadmium, lead and arsenic) negatively influence micronutrient status. Electronic waste (e-waste) recyclers are amongst the highest metals-exposed groups worldwide, though their micronutrient status is yet to be explored. This study therefore assessed the micronutrient status of e-waste recyclers using dietary information and biomarker data. Methods: Micronutrient status of 151 participants (100 e-waste recyclers and 51 controls from the Accra region, Ghana) was assessed in March 2017 using a 2-day 24-hour recall survey and biomarker (blood and urine) levels. Blood and urine levels of iron [Fe], calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg], selenium [Se], zinc [Zn] and copper [Cu] were analyzed by ICP-MS. Linear regression models were used to assess associations between work-related factors and sociodemographic characteristics with micronutrient intake, blood and urine micronutrient levels. Results: Dietary Fe and Zn were adequately consumed among the e-waste recyclers. Meanwhile, micronutrients—such as Ca, Se, Mg and Cu—were inadequately consumed by e-waste recyclers and controls. Except for the low levels of Mg and Fe detected in blood of e-waste recyclers, all other micronutrients measured in both blood and urine of both groups fell within their reference range. Exposure to biomass burning was associated with lower blood levels of Fe, Mg and Zn among the e‑waste recyclers. Further, among e-waste recyclers, significant relationships were found between the number of years of spent recycling e-waste and urinary Ca and Cu excretion.Conclusion: Apart from Fe and Zn, e-waste recyclers at Agbogbloshie did not meet the day to day dietary requirements for Ca, Cu, Se, and Mg intake. In addition, exposure to biomass burning could lead to reductions in Fe, Mg, and Zn uptake in blood. Given that, blood levels of micronutrients such as Mg and Fe were below their reference ranges, the implementation of evidence-based nutrition strategies remains necessary among e-waste recyclers to reduce their risk of becoming malnourished.Trial Registration: Not applicable

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Micronutrient Status of Electronic Waste (E-waste) Recyclers at Agbogbloshie (Ghana) Using Dietary Information and Biomarker Data

Takyi

Basu

Arko‐Mensah

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…brominated flame retardants) that are harmful to the health of individuals in particular and the environment generally. It has been observed that most of these wastes are shipped to developing countries for use and possible recycling [21,42,43]. These wastes produce gaseous emissions that pose health risks to the individuals within and around such e-wastes are dumped or recycled [42].…”

Section: Implications Of Computer-based Wastes and Energy-intensive Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Computing: A Machinery for Sustainable Development in the Post-Covid Era

Nwankwo¹,

Chinedu²

2021

Green Computing Technologies and Computing Industry in 2021

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Socio-economic sustainability has emerged the common song of the policy makers globally. It has been projected as a developmental strategy by international and regional agencies. There has been several campaigns and programs all of which are intended to promote sustainability. In developing countries, the masses have been bamboozled with often unrealistic bogus policies hypocritically crafted in a bid to deceive the uninformed who are undoubtedly helpless in the midst of the conundrum. However, the 2019 reports of the IPCC and OECD respectively on global warming, sustainability and climate change is not a phenomenon that should be swept under the carpet by any sensible government. Though in many jurisdictions, campaigns and policies have long assumed political undertone, it must be stressed that it is time for talking the walk. Governments must put up implementable strategies that are all encompassing across the various sociopolitical classes and the different industry levels. According to the said reports, global warming and climate change pose severe challenges to sustainability and this is attributed to social, and economic root causes. The social sources are conflicts and poor socio-political governance structures whereas the economic sources are connected to industry, electricity, residential, agriculture, and transport. It is reported that 60% of greenhouse emissions globally emanate from the economic source. The worst hit is the sub-Saharan Africa where the dumping of electronic wastes and uncontrolled deployment of unregulated hardware for industry operations have remained a major environmental menace in the last decade. Having regard to the foregoing, this paper seeks to provide a systematic inquiry into the green computing policies and legislations in a major economic hub in the sub-Saharan Africa. The essence of this investigation is to critically review the present status of existing policies, strategies, and legislation vis-à-vis their strengths, lapses, and the contributory effect of these on driving the sustainability programs in the general developmental outlook of the sub region.

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“…The e-waste recycling industry in India is a major source of contamination of environmental media and exposure to hazardous chemicals to not only the recyclers, but also children, pregnant women, and other vulnerable populations living in surrounding areas. Children who live near e-waste recycling sites in India are exposed to high levels of lead, chromium, and other hazardous chemicals due to the improper disposal of the e-waste (6). Thailand, like India and many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, is also affected by the illegal dumping and recycling of e-waste.…”

Section: Waste Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common issues related to children’s environmental health in the Asia-Pacific region

Trottier

Settachan

2020

Reviews on Environmental Health

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AbstractThis summary reports on the outcomes and common issues faced among the countries represented at the Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting on Children’s Environmental Health, a meeting that was held at the Chulabhorn Research Institute in Bangkok, Thailand, and which focused on cross-cutting issues and commonalities among countries/regions, discussion of lessons learnt, exploring opportunities for policy-relevant research collaborations, and reviewing available educational tools to help translate research findings into tangible outputs. The common children’s environmental health issues faced by countries in the Asia-Pacific region include indoor and outdoor air pollution; unregulated and inadequate waste management; chemical and infectious agents in water used for drinking and cooking; hazardous pesticide use; and climate change and extreme weather events. The meeting participants agreed there is a need for multisectoral involvement in each country to develop frameworks and guidelines, raising public awareness of risk, and managing exposures in order to tackle these common issues. Networking will allow countries to learn from each other and enhance their efforts to protect not only the health of children, but also that of the rest of the population at risk.

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Prevention-intervention strategies to reduce exposure to e-waste

Cited by 46 publications

References 27 publications

Assessment of Micronutrient Status of Electronic Waste (E-waste) Recyclers at Agbogbloshie (Ghana) Using Dietary Information and Biomarker Data

Assessment of Micronutrient Status of Electronic Waste (E-waste) Recyclers at Agbogbloshie (Ghana) Using Dietary Information and Biomarker Data

Green Computing: A Machinery for Sustainable Development in the Post-Covid Era

Common issues related to children’s environmental health in the Asia-Pacific region

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