PARC Waste Management Survey: early health effects among workers from waste management industries in Portugal

Tavares, Ana; Rosário, R.; Aimonen, K..; Louro, Henriqueta; Martins, Carla; Viegas, Susana; Santonen, T.; Silva, Maria João; PARC Waste Management Survey Team

Publicação

PARC Waste Management Survey: early health effects among workers from waste management industries in Portugal

2025-10-20Documento de conferência

datacite.subject.fos	Ciências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde
datacite.subject.sdg	03:Saúde de Qualidade
dc.contributor.author	Tavares, Ana
dc.contributor.author	Rosário, R.
dc.contributor.author	Aimonen, K..
dc.contributor.author	Louro, Henriqueta
dc.contributor.author	Martins, Carla
dc.contributor.author	Viegas, Susana
dc.contributor.author	Santonen, T.
dc.contributor.author	Silva, Maria João
dc.contributor.author	PARC Waste Management Survey Team
dc.date.accessioned	2026-03-03T12:34:09Z
dc.date.available	2026-03-03T12:34:09Z
dc.date.issued	2025-10-20
dc.description.abstract	In a society increasingly generating waste, the Circular Economy Action Plan advocates for a more sustainable management of waste. Recycling of plastics and electronic devices (e-waste) is a rapidly growing sector, with more workers involved in tasks possibly favouring exposure to hazardous chemicals, (i.e. bisphenols, heavy metals, etc.). Under the framework of the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC), a human biomonitoring study was developed on workers from plastic and e-waste recycling industries in European countries. In Portugal, workers involved in household plastic recycling and non-exposed individuals were included. Blood samples and demographic/lifestyle information were collected upon informed consent, and the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay was performed in lymphocytes from 28 participants. The exposed group (n=18) presented significantly higher frequencies of micronucleated lymphocytes vs. controls (n=10) (p= 0.045). The same was observed for nuclear buds (p= 0.007) and nucleoplasmic bridges (p<0.001). However, no significant differences were observed between both groups regarding demographic/lifestyle variables. Our findings revealed genotoxic effects, possibly related with occupational exposure to e-waste and plastic waste. Such early effects indicate a possibility for future adverse health outcomes, such as cancer, if exposure continues. An assessment of levels of exposure to several substances among these workers is also currently underway. Such exposure data will allow us to analyse possible correlations between exposure levels and early biological effects, and infer on groups/tasks at higher risk, promoting risk management measures.	eng
dc.description.sponsorship	PARC
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/11033
dc.language.iso	eng
dc.peerreviewed	n/a
dc.relation	European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC)
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	Environmental Toxicology
dc.subject	Genetic Toxicology
dc.subject	PARC
dc.subject	Toxicologia Genética
dc.subject	Toxicologia Ambiental
dc.subject	Portugal
dc.subject	Genotoxicidade Ambiental
dc.title	PARC Waste Management Survey: early health effects among workers from waste management industries in Portugal	eng
dc.type	conference object
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.awardNumber	10044992
oaire.awardTitle	European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC)
oaire.awardURI	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/10383
oaire.citation.conferenceDate	2025-10
oaire.citation.conferencePlace	Lisbon, Portugal
oaire.citation.title	ISES Europe Workshop, International Society of Exposure Science, 20-22 October 2025
oaire.fundingStream	Horizon Europe Guarantee
oaire.version	http://purl.org/coar/version/c_b1a7d7d4d402bcce
relation.isProjectOfPublication	a7df9a6a-838e-406c-94c7-1baa7daba05c
relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	a7df9a6a-838e-406c-94c7-1baa7daba05c