Comparison of Neurological Health Conditions for Lead, Cadmium, and Nickel Exposures on the Work Surfaces among E-Waste Sorting Workers in Ubon Ratchathani Province
Keywords:
Lead, Cadmium, Nickel, Electronic waste worker, Health conditionAbstract
This study was aimed at comparing neurological health conditions and risk factors for lead, cadmium, and nickel exposures on the work surfaces of e-waste sorting workers in Ubon Ratchathani Province. The exposed group included 151 e-waste sorting workers and in the non-exposed group included 72 village health volunteers, An interview form was used and the Pb, Cd, and Ni contents on the work surfaces were evaluated. The results of the study found that most e-waste sorting workers were males, 78 persons (51.70%), and the mean age (SD) was 45.50 (11.99) years. In the work areas of the exposed group, the Pb, Cd, and Ni mean contents (SD) were 46.6 (150.18), 0.19 (0.51), and 23.211 (58.34) µg/100 cm2, respectively, while of the non-exposed group, the Pb, Cd, and Ni mean contents (SD) were 0.22 (0.557), 0.11 (0.966), and 0.17 (0.301) µg/100 cm2, respectively. According to the comparison, neurological health conditions in the exposed group were statistically significantly higher than those in the non-exposed group (p-value < 0.05) including gender with poor memory, age with insomnia; drinking alcohol and smoking with sweats easily; number of working hours per day with decreased sexual desire; Pb and Ni with sweating easily and Cd with balance problems. It is recommended that the samples focus on their health care based on their risk factors; for example, they should refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking, and eating in their work areas, wear personal protective equipment when sorting e-waste, and clean their work areas to control and reduce the Pb, Cd, and Ni content on the work surfaces.
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