Work Task Association with Lead Urine and Blood Concentrations in Informal Electronic Waste Recyclers in Thailand and Chile.

The informal recycling of electronic waste ("e-waste") is a lucrative business for workers in low- and middle-income countries across the globe. Workers dismantle e-waste to recover valuable materials that can be sold for income. However, workers expose themselves and the surrounding environment to hazardous agents during the process, including toxic metals like lead (Pb).

Metal Levels, Genetic Instability, and Renal Markers in Electronic Waste Workers in Thailand.

Background: Informal electronic waste (-waste) recycling is an increasingly important industry worldwide. However, few studies have studied the health risks in this group of workers.

Objective: To assess the associations between occupational exposures to metals and genetic instability and renal markers among -waste recycling workers.

Mercury exposure, risk factors, and perceptions among women of childbearing age in an artisanal gold mining region of the Peruvian Amazon.

Recent studies from the Madre de Dios region of Peru report elevated mercury exposure among the general population. Our objective was to assess mercury exposure, risk factors, risk perceptions, and knowledge among women of childbearing age, a population of concern due to risks to infant and fetal health. We collected hair samples and administered a survey among 200 women aged 18-49 years residing in Madre de Dios.

Self-Reported Health and Metal Body Burden in an Electronic Waste Recycling Community in Northeastern Thailand.

Objective: This study aims to summarize electronic waste (e-waste) worker health; examine associations between health and sociodemographic characteristics; and metal body burden.

Methods: In 2016, 131 e-waste recycling workers were enrolled in the study, completed a questionnaire, and gave blood and urine samples for heavy metal concentration assessment (lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, nickel). The relationship between symptoms, general health, and metals is assessed via generalized estimating equation models (adjusted for age, education, sex, and village).

A Review of Biomarkers Used for Assessing Human Exposure to Metals from E-Waste.

Electronic waste recycling presents workers and communities with a potential for exposures to dangerous chemicals, including metals. This review examines studies that report on blood, hair, and urine biomarkers of communities and workers exposed to metals from e-waste. Our results from the evaluation of 19 publications found that there are consistently elevated levels of lead found in occupationally and non-occupationally exposed populations, in both the formal and the informal e-waste recycling sectors.

Health Assessment of Electronic Waste Workers in Chile: Participant Characterization.

Little research has been done to evaluate the occupational health of electronic waste (e-waste) recycling workers in Latin America. The objective of this study was to complete comprehensive health evaluations on e-waste recycling workers in Chile and to compare those that work in informal (i.e.

Distribution and predictors of 20 toxic and essential metals in the umbilical cord blood of Chinese newborns.

Early-life exposure to heavy metals and/or trace metal imbalances can have negative developmental effects. Here we sought to characterize exposure profiles for 20 heavy metals and trace elements in umbilical cord blood plasma and identify demographic predictors of exposure. Twenty metals were measured in cord plasma from 357 Chinese infants using ICP-MS.