Prevention-intervention strategies to reduce exposure to e-waste
Michelle Heacock1, Brittany Trottier1, Sharad Adhikary2
1Superfund Research Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, RTP, NC, USA.
Reviews on Environmental Health
|May 12, 2018
Summary
Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling, often informal, exposes workers, including women and children, to hazardous substances like lead and cadmium. Strategies are needed to reduce these exposures in developing countries.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Occupational Health
- Waste Management
Background:
- Global demand for consumer electronics drives significant growth in electronic waste (e-waste) streams.
- E-waste is frequently transported to developing nations for informal recycling, often lacking safety controls.
- Informal recycling exposes vulnerable populations, including women and children, to hazardous materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine e-waste recycling scenarios and associated hazardous substance exposures.
- To present intervention approaches for reducing or preventing exposures in diverse e-waste recycling settings.
- To discuss future strategies considering the economic realities of informal recycling.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of case studies detailing e-waste recycling practices and exposure scenarios.
- Identification of commonalities across different scales and geographic regions of e-waste recycling.
- Review of existing and potential intervention strategies for hazardous substance reduction.
Main Results:
- Informal e-waste recycling involves significant exposure to hazardous substances like cadmium, lead, and brominated flame retardants.
- Exposure risks are disproportionately borne by women and children in these informal settings.
- Recycling practices and exposure levels vary but share common hazardous elements.
Conclusions:
- Intervention strategies for e-waste recycling must be broadly applicable to diverse informal settings.
- Future prevention and intervention efforts should acknowledge and integrate the economic constraints faced by informal recyclers.
- Addressing hazardous exposures in e-waste recycling requires tailored, economically sensitive solutions.
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