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Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study of Health Risks Among E-waste Recyclers in Delhi

BACKGROUND. India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding 1.7 million tons in 2014. E-waste gets recycled mainly in the informal sector which means activities are largely unaccounted for. Hazardous chemicals and metals are released during recycling processes (lead (Pb) bein...

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Autores principales: Singhal, Diksha, Lyngdoh, Tanica, Prabhakaran, Poormima
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Black Smith Institute 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8009644/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33815904
http://dx.doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-11.29.210306
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author Singhal, Diksha
Lyngdoh, Tanica
Prabhakaran, Poormima
author_facet Singhal, Diksha
Lyngdoh, Tanica
Prabhakaran, Poormima
author_sort Singhal, Diksha
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND. India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding 1.7 million tons in 2014. E-waste gets recycled mainly in the informal sector which means activities are largely unaccounted for. Hazardous chemicals and metals are released during recycling processes (lead (Pb) being the most common). Compared to other developing countries, there are few studies from India on the awareness of recyclers of health risks related to e-waste recycling. OBJECTIVES. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of health-related risks and behaviors among e-waste workers/recyclers belonging to the informal sector in Delhi and to determine the concentration of Pb levels in hair samples from a subset of workers from selected recycling sites. METHODS. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three e-waste informal recycling sites of Delhi: Seelampur, Mustafabad and Mandoli using an interviewer administered questionnaire among 220 e-waste workers. Percentages were presented for each KAP indicator. Analyses were computed using the statistical software STATA 14.2. RESULTS. It was observed that 24% of participants had knowledge of the meaning of e-waste and 36% knew the chemicals that could be released from e-waste handling. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was used by only 12% of the workers. Twenty-six percent (26%) perceived occupational injuries (cuts or burns) as mild and 20% perceived coughing immediately after work as mild. Explorative analysis showed a link between worker education level and the type of work practices employed. The median level of Pb concentration among hair samples was 8 mg/kg with inter-quartile range between 5.8 to 12.4 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS. Knowledge and practices among e-waste workers regarding the health hazards associated with e-waste recycling were poor with little knowledge of or attention to health risks. A comprehensive remediation package covering sensitization and awareness-building strategies of the health risks associated with informal e-waste recycling should be an urgent priority. PARTICIPANT CONSENT. Obtained ETHICS APPROVAL. Ethics approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC), Indian Institute of Public Health-Delhi. COMPETING INTERESTS. The authors declare no competing financial interests
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spelling pubmed-80096442021-04-01 Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study of Health Risks Among E-waste Recyclers in Delhi Singhal, Diksha Lyngdoh, Tanica Prabhakaran, Poormima J Health Pollut Research BACKGROUND. India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world, discarding 1.7 million tons in 2014. E-waste gets recycled mainly in the informal sector which means activities are largely unaccounted for. Hazardous chemicals and metals are released during recycling processes (lead (Pb) being the most common). Compared to other developing countries, there are few studies from India on the awareness of recyclers of health risks related to e-waste recycling. OBJECTIVES. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of health-related risks and behaviors among e-waste workers/recyclers belonging to the informal sector in Delhi and to determine the concentration of Pb levels in hair samples from a subset of workers from selected recycling sites. METHODS. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three e-waste informal recycling sites of Delhi: Seelampur, Mustafabad and Mandoli using an interviewer administered questionnaire among 220 e-waste workers. Percentages were presented for each KAP indicator. Analyses were computed using the statistical software STATA 14.2. RESULTS. It was observed that 24% of participants had knowledge of the meaning of e-waste and 36% knew the chemicals that could be released from e-waste handling. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was used by only 12% of the workers. Twenty-six percent (26%) perceived occupational injuries (cuts or burns) as mild and 20% perceived coughing immediately after work as mild. Explorative analysis showed a link between worker education level and the type of work practices employed. The median level of Pb concentration among hair samples was 8 mg/kg with inter-quartile range between 5.8 to 12.4 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS. Knowledge and practices among e-waste workers regarding the health hazards associated with e-waste recycling were poor with little knowledge of or attention to health risks. A comprehensive remediation package covering sensitization and awareness-building strategies of the health risks associated with informal e-waste recycling should be an urgent priority. PARTICIPANT CONSENT. Obtained ETHICS APPROVAL. Ethics approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC), Indian Institute of Public Health-Delhi. COMPETING INTERESTS. The authors declare no competing financial interests Black Smith Institute 2021-03-02 /pmc/articles/PMC8009644/ /pubmed/33815904 http://dx.doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-11.29.210306 Text en © Pure Earth 2021 This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
spellingShingle Research
Singhal, Diksha
Lyngdoh, Tanica
Prabhakaran, Poormima
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study of Health Risks Among E-waste Recyclers in Delhi
title Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study of Health Risks Among E-waste Recyclers in Delhi
title_full Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study of Health Risks Among E-waste Recyclers in Delhi
title_fullStr Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study of Health Risks Among E-waste Recyclers in Delhi
title_full_unstemmed Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study of Health Risks Among E-waste Recyclers in Delhi
title_short Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study of Health Risks Among E-waste Recyclers in Delhi
title_sort knowledge, attitude and practice study of health risks among e-waste recyclers in delhi
topic Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8009644/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33815904
http://dx.doi.org/10.5696/2156-9614-11.29.210306
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