Publication
HBM4EU e-waste study – Occupational exposure assessment to chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead during e-waste recycling
| dc.contributor.author | Leese, Elizabeth | |
| dc.contributor.author | Verdonck, Jelle | |
| dc.contributor.author | Porras, Simo P. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Airaksinen, Jaakko | |
| dc.contributor.author | Duca, Radu C. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Galea, Karen S. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Godderis, Lode | |
| dc.contributor.author | Janasik, Beata | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mahiout, Selma | |
| dc.contributor.author | Martins, Carla | |
| dc.contributor.author | Mārtiņsone, Inese | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ani, Maria Mirela | |
| dc.contributor.author | van Nieuwenhuyse, An | |
| dc.contributor.author | Scheepers, Paul T.J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Silva, Maria João | |
| dc.contributor.author | Viegas, Susana | |
| dc.contributor.author | Santonen, Tiina | |
| dc.contributor.author | HBM4EU E-waste Study Team | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-11-13T12:53:13Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-11-13T12:53:13Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-10-15 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Processing of electronic waste (e-waste) causes the release of toxic substances which may lead to occupational exposure. The study aimed to gather information on potential occupational exposure during e-waste recycling, with a focus on biomonitoring of chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead. In eight European countries, 195 workers involved in the recycling of lead batteries, white goods, brown goods and metals and plastics were studied. These workers were compared to 73 controls with no direct involvement of e-waste recycling or other metal processing activities. The samples collected consisted of urine, blood and hair samples, along with personal air samples, hand wipes, settled dust samples and contextual information. Chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead was measured in urine, hair, air samples, hand wipes and settled dust; cadmium and lead in whole blood and chromium in red blood cells. Results showed that lead exposure is of concern, with workers from all five types of e-waste showing exposure, with elevated measurements in all matrices. Internal exposure markers were positively correlated with markers of external exposure, indicating workers are not adequately protected. Exposure to mercury and cadmium was also observed but to a much lesser extent with raised cadmium concentrations in urine and blood of all workers when compared to controls and raised mercury concentrations were found in brown goods workers when compared to controls. This study has highlighted exposure concerns when processing e-waste, particularly for lead across all waste categories studied, indicating a need for improved control measures in this sector. | eng |
| dc.description.abstract | Highlights: - New European exposure data for chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead in e-waste workers; - Lead is the predominant exposure risk in e-waste workers, and is of a concern; - High positive correlations were found between all internal and external lead markers; - Low level mercury exposure was determined in brown goods workers; - Low-level cadmium exposure was found in all workers. | por |
| dc.description.sponsorship | This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 733032 and received co-funding from the authors organisations and/or ministries. In addition, the Finnish Work Environment fund provided co-funding (grant number 200345). | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Environ Res. 2025 Oct 15:283:121892. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121892. Epub 2025 Jun 9 | |
| dc.identifier.doi | 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121892 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0013-9351 | |
| dc.identifier.pmid | 40499639 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/10606 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.peerreviewed | yes | |
| dc.publisher | Elsevier | |
| dc.relation | European Human Biomonitoring Initiative | |
| dc.relation.hasversion | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935125011430?via%3Dihub#sec2 | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Environmental Research | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ | |
| dc.subject | Electronic Waste | |
| dc.subject | Occupational Health | |
| dc.subject | Cross-Sectional Studies | |
| dc.subject | Toxic Metals | |
| dc.subject | Human Biomonitoring | |
| dc.subject | Environmental Genotoxicity | |
| dc.subject | Blood | |
| dc.subject | Urine | |
| dc.subject | Hair | |
| dc.subject | Genotoxicidade Ambiental | |
| dc.title | HBM4EU e-waste study – Occupational exposure assessment to chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead during e-waste recycling | eng |
| dc.type | journal article | |
| dcterms.references | https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0013935125011430-mmc1.docx | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.awardTitle | European Human Biomonitoring Initiative | |
| oaire.awardURI | info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/733032/EU | |
| oaire.citation.startPage | 121892 | |
| oaire.citation.title | Environmental Research | |
| oaire.citation.volume | 283 | |
| oaire.fundingStream | H2020 | |
| oaire.version | http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85 | |
| project.funder.identifier | http://doi.org/10.13039/501100008530 | |
| project.funder.name | European Commission | |
| relation.isProjectOfPublication | 6815dc2d-ef7e-4535-8dd3-5193c8bffba5 | |
| relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscovery | 6815dc2d-ef7e-4535-8dd3-5193c8bffba5 |