Opportunities and challenges in reducing personal inhalation exposure to air pollution among electronic waste recovery workers in Ghana.
Zoey LaskarisStuart A BattermanJohn Arko-MensahBhramar MukherjeeJulius Najah FobilMarie S O'NeillThomas G RobinsPublished in: American journal of industrial medicine (2021)
Mean (±standard deviation) personal PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 concentrations were 80 (± 81) and 123 (± 139) µg m-3 , respectively. The adjusted mean PM2.5 concentration for burning e-waste was 88 µg m-3 , a 28% increase above concentrations during non-recovery activities (such as eating). Transportation-related and burning activities were associated with the highest PM2.5-10 concentrations. Frequent changes in wind direction were associated with higher PM2.5 concentrations when burning, and high wind speeds with higher PM2.5-10 concentrations when dismantling e-waste downwind of the burning zone.