Browsing by Author "Cleys, Paulien"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- HBM4EU E-waste study: Assessing persistent organic pollutants in blood, silicone wristbands, and settled dust among E-waste recycling workers in EuropePublication . Cseresznye, Adam; Hardy, Emilie M.; Ait Bamai, Yu; Cleys, Paulien; Poma, Giulia; Malarvannan, Govindan; Scheepers, Paul T.J.; Viegas, Susana; Martins, Carla; Porras, Simo P.; Santonen, Tiina; Godderis, Lode; Verdonck, Jelle; Poels, Katrien; Silva, Maria João; Louro, Henriqueta; Martinsone, Inese; Akūlova, Lāsma; van Dael, Maurice; van Nieuwenhuyse, An; Mahiout, Selma; Duca, Radu Corneliu; Covaci, AdrianE-waste recycling is an increasingly important activity that contributes to reducing the burden of end-of-life electronic and electrical apparatus and allows for the EU's transition to a circular economy. This study investigated the exposure levels of selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in workers from e-waste recycling facilities across Europe. The concentrations of seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and eight polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) congeners were measured by GC-MS. Workers were categorized into five groups based on the type of e-waste handled and two control groups. Generalized linear models were used to assess the determinants of exposure levels among workers. POPs levels were also assessed in dust and silicone wristbands (SWB) and compared with serum. Four PCB congeners (CB 118, 138, 153, and 180) were frequently detected in serum regardless of worker's category. With the exception of CB 118, all tested PCBs were significantly higher in workers compared to the control group. Controls working in the same company as occupationally exposed (Within control group), also displayed higher levels of serum CB 180 than non-industrial controls with no known exposures to these chemicals (Outwith controls) (p < 0.05). BDE 209 was the most prevalent POP in settled dust (16 μg/g) and SWB (220 ng/WB). Spearman correlation revealed moderate to strong positive correlations between SWB and dust. Increased age and the number of years smoked cigarettes were key determinants for workers exposure. Estimated daily intake through dust ingestion revealed that ΣPCB was higher for both the 50th (0.03 ng/kg bw/day) and 95th (0.09 ng/kg bw/day) percentile exposure scenarios compared to values reported for the general population. This study is one of the first to address the occupational exposure to PCBs and PBDEs in Europe among e-waste workers through biomonitoring combined with analysis of settled dust and SWB. Our findings suggest that e-waste workers may face elevated PCB exposure and that appropriate exposure assessments are needed to establish effective mitigation strategies.
- HBM4EU e-waste study: Occupational exposure of electronic waste workers to phthalates and DINCH in EuropePublication . Cleys, Paulien; Hardy, Emilie; Ait Bamai, Yu; Poma, Giulia; Cseresznye, Adam; Malarvannan, Govindan; Scheepers, Paul T.J.; Viegas, Susana; Porras, Simo P.; Santonen, Tiina; Godderis, Lode; Verdonck, Jelle; Poels, Katrien; Martins, Carla; Silva, Maria João; Louro, Henriqueta; Martinsone, Inese; Akūlova, Lāsma; van Nieuwenhuyse, An; Graumans, Martien; Mahiout, Selma; Duca, Radu Corneliu; Covaci, AdrianWorkers involved in the processing of electronic waste (e-waste) are potentially exposed to toxic chemicals, including phthalates and alternative plasticizers (APs). Dismantling and shredding of e-waste may lead to the production of dust that contains these plasticizers. The aim of this study, which was part of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU), was to assess the exposure to phthalates (e.g. di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-butyl phthalate (DBP), butyl-benzyl phthalate (BBzP), di-isononyl phthalate (DiNP), di-isodecyl phthalate (DiDP) and cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylic di-isononyl ester (DINCH) in e-waste workers from ten European companies. This was achieved by (i) analysing urine samples from 106 e-waste workers collected at the beginning and at the end of the work week, (ii) comparing these with urine samples from 63 non-occupationally exposed controls, and (iii) analysing settled floor dust collected in e-waste premises. Significantly higher urinary concentrations of seven out of thirteen phthalates and DINCH metabolites were found in the e-waste workers compared to the control population. However, no significant differences were found between pre- and post-shift concentrations in the e-waste workers. Concentrations of DBP, DEHP and DiDP in dust were weakly to moderately positively correlated with their corresponding urinary metabolite concentrations in the e-waste workers (Spearman's ρ = 0.4, 0.3 and 0.2, respectively). Additionally, significantly lower urinary concentrations of nine phthalates and DINCH metabolites were found in e-waste workers using respiratory protective equipment (RPE) during their work activities, reflecting the potential benefits of RPE to prevent occupational exposure to phthalates and DINCH. The estimated daily intake (EDI) values obtained in this study were lower than the corresponding tolerable daily intake (TDI) adopted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for the general population, suggesting that the risk for negative health consequences in this population of e-waste workers from exposure to phthalates and DINCH is expected to be low. This was confirmed by the urinary metabolite concentrations of all workers being lower than the HBM4EU guidance values derived for the occupational exposed and general population. This study is one of the first to address the occupational exposure to phthalates and DINCH in Europe in e-waste dismantling workers, combining a human biomonitoring approach with analysis of settled indoor dust.