Abstract
Informal e-waste recycling is associated with several health hazards. Thus far, the main focus of research in the e-waste sector has been to assess the exposure site, such as the burden of heavy metals or organic pollutants. The aim of this study was to comprehensively assess the health consequences associated with informal e-waste recycling. A questionnaire-based assessment regarding occupational information, medical history, and current symptoms and complaints was carried out with a group of n = 84 e-waste workers and compared to a control cohort of n = 94 bystanders at the e-waste recycling site Agbogbloshie. E-waste workers suffered significantly more from work-related injuries, back pain, and red itchy eyes in comparison to the control group. In addition, regular drug use was more common in e-waste workers (25% vs. 6.4%). Both groups showed a noticeable high use of pain killers (all workers 79%). The higher frequency of symptoms in the e-waste group can be explained by the specific recycling tasks, such as burning or dismantling. However, the report also indicates that adverse health effects apply frequently to the control group. Occupational safety trainings and the provision of personal protection equipment are needed for all workers.
Highlights
Year after year, finding a solution to the global problem of electric and electronic waste (e-waste) is becoming increasingly urgent [1]
The origin of the e-waste workers (EW) and BY differed significantly, as shown in Table 1 (100% of EW were from Ghana and 59.6% or BY were from Ghana)
The majority of the reported health problems did not differ between the e-waste workers and the control group of workers without involvement in e-waste processing
Summary
Year after year, finding a solution to the global problem of electric and electronic waste (e-waste) is becoming increasingly urgent [1]. UEEE at the end of its life span, especially that imported from Europe, leads to the creation of hundreds of thousands of tons of electronic waste every year in Ghana alone (179,000 t in 2009) [2]. The accumulation of this amount of electronic waste drives the growth of the second largest e-waste processing site in West Africa, which has achieved international attention as one of the world’s. The 16 km Agbogbloshie district in the Korle Lagoon, known locally as Sodom and Gomorrah, was leased in 1994 by the informal Greater Accra Scrap
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