Urinary heavy metal levels and relevant factors among people exposed to e-waste dismantling

Primitive electronic waste (e-waste) recycling has become a growing environmental concern, and toxic heavy metals released from e-waste activities may continue to threaten the health of local people. To study the impact of heavy metals in people around e-waste sites, 349 people from e-waste recyclin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment international Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 80 - 85
Main Authors: Wang, Hongmei, Han, Mei, Yang, Suwen, Chen, Yanqing, Liu, Qian, Ke, Shen
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 2011
Elsevier
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Cadmium
Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases
copper
Correlation analysis
Dismantling
E-waste dismantling
Electronic Waste
electronic wastes
Environment. Living conditions
Environmental Exposure - analysis
Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data
Environmental Pollutants - urine
Environmental pollutants toxicology
Exposure
Female
Health
Heavy metals
Humans
lead
Male
manganese
Medical sciences
Metals and various inorganic compounds
Metals, Heavy - urine
Middle Aged
Oryza sativa
people
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
questionnaires
Recycling
Refuse Disposal
rice
Risk
Risk Assessment
risk factors
surveys
toxicity
Toxicology
Urinary heavy metal levels
villages
Young Adult
Zinc
Asia
China
E-waste dismantling
Urinary heavy metal levels
Human
Urine
Trace element
Health and environment
Recycling
Electronic scrap
Dismantling
Epidemiology
Public health
Heavy metal
ISSN:0160-4120, 1873-6750, 1873-6750
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Primitive electronic waste (e-waste) recycling has become a growing environmental concern, and toxic heavy metals released from e-waste activities may continue to threaten the health of local people. To study the impact of heavy metals in people around e-waste sites, 349 people from e-waste recycling sites (exposure group) and 118 people from a green plantation (control group) were surveyed, and their urinary levels of lead (UPb), cadmium (UCd), manganese (UMn), copper (UCu), and Zinc (UZn) were assayed. Questionnaire surveys for risk factors were also performed and analyzed by using the Pearson correlation analysis. Results indicated that the levels of urinary Cd in both occupational dismantling people {GM(GSD) 0.72(0.71) ug/L} and non-occupational dismantling people {GM(GSD) 0.50(0.79) ug/L} were higher than the control group {GM(GSD) 0.27(0.85) ug/L}. Further analyses of correlations between urinary heavy metal levels and exposure factors in the exposed group revealed positive relationship between the duration of dismantling and the level of UPb (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, rice sources from local village have a positive correlation with the level of UPb and UCd (p < 0.01). Other factors, however, may also have influences on heavy metal burden, and not all urinary heavy metal levels can be contributed to e-waste dismantling exposure levels. Primitive e-waste recycling activities may contribute to the changes of urinary heavy metal levels and increase the health risk for those chronically working on e-waste dismantling.
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ISSN:0160-4120
1873-6750
1873-6750
DOI:10.1016/j.envint.2010.07.005