Abstract
Nigeria is reported as the largest electronic waste (e-waste) dump yard in Africa; and to date, Nigeria’s e-waste management practices remain completely primitive. It was recently documented that the majority (88.8%) of Nigerian e-waste workers (with exposure burden of ≥ 6 hours per day; ≥ 6 days per week) worked without personal protective devices inspite of the volume of toxic substances, some of which are known carcinogens, documented to be found in e-waste. The present study aimed to evaluate the status of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and Alpha Fetoprotein (AFP) as cancer risk biomarkers in Nigerians occupationally exposed to waste electrical and electronic equipment (also known as e-waste) in Benin City, Nigeria. Serum levels of PSA and AFP were determined in Nigerian e-waste workers (n=63) and in age-matched non-exposed participants (n=41), using Enzyme linked Immunosorbent Assay. It was observed that PSA and AFP levels in e-waste workers (12.62 ± 6.0 ng/ml; 3.56 ± 0.34 ng/ml) were significantly elevated compared with the non-exposed group (2.14 ± 0.38 ng/ml; 2.14 ± 0.80 ng/ml), (P=0.000 and P<0.045) respectively. In addition, 26% of e-waste workers compared with 11% of non-exposed participants registered higher than the reference range of PSA (0-4.0 ng/ml) used for healthy subjects. This study concludes that the significantly elevated cancer risk biomarkers (PSA and AFP) observed in the studied population of Nigerian e-waste workers may be associated with occupational exposure to known carcinogens in e-waste.
Highlights
Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) describes discarded electrical or electronic devices
This study aimed at evaluating the status of prostate specific antigen and alpha fetoprotein as cancer risk biomarkers in Nigerians occupationally exposed to e-waste in Benin City, Nigeria
Exclusion criteria E-waste workers who are not exposed to e-waste for a period up to five years at the time of sample collection would not be considered suitable for the study
Summary
Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. The term may broadly be defined as discarded computers, office electronic equipment, entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, television sets and refrigerators [1]. WEEE have been reported to contain numerous carcinogenic chemicals, which include mercury, lead oxide, cadmium, and polyvinyl chloride [1,2]. In Nigeria and most developing countries, e-waste management practices remain primitive and take place mainly in the informal sector. This informal processing may result in serious health and pollution problems, as the developing countries are more likely to reuse and repair electronics than developed countries. It has been reported that e-waste disposal become especially problematic when humans and the environment come in contact with hazardous chemicals during the process of dismantling electronic products [2]
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