Table 3 Respiratory health outcomes
From: Bridging the knowledge gap! Health outcomes in informal e-waste workers
Study design, exposure, setting, time | Population/ participants | Measurements, Examination | Health outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Respiratory tract | ||||
Nti et al. [2020] | Longitudinal cohort study: exposed e-waste worker (EWW) vs unexposed control group (CG), Ghana, March 2017–November 2018 | Overall n = 207 participants 142 male EWW N = 64/65 male adults as CG | Questionnaire incl. General, medical- & socio-demographic information Lung function measurements: Spirometry (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, PEF, FEF25–75) | The regression analysis showed a significant percent change for the lung function parameters FEF25–75 between e-waste workers and controls in the PM10, PM2.5–10 fraction. |
Kuntawee et al. [2020] | Nested case-control study: exposed e-waste worker (EWW) vs unexposed control group (CG), Thailand, May–July 2017 | Overall n = 102 participants/51 subject pairs (asthmatic & non-asthmatic) 84 EWW (49 females, 35 males) 18 residents as CG | Questionnaire incl. Lifestyle factors, use of PPE & socio-demographics Blood & urine samples | Years of work showed a statistically significant association to a higher likelihood of asthma in e-waste workers compared to controls using chi-squared test. |