Decharat Somsiri
Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Health and Sports Science, Thaksin University, Phatthalung, Thailand.
J Prev Med Public Health. 2018 Jul;51(4):196-204. doi: 10.3961/jpmph.18.049. Epub 2018 Jun 19.
To determine urinary mercury levels in e-waste workers in Southern Thailand and the airborne mercury levels in the e-waste shops where they worked, to describe the associations between urinary and airborne mercury levels, and to evaluate the prevalence of mercury exposure-related health effects among e-waste workers.
A cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing 79 workers in 25 e-waste shops who lived in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand. Information on general and occupational characteristics, personal protective equipment use, and personal hygiene was collected by questionnaire. Urine samples were collected to determine mercury levels using a cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometer mercury analyzer.
The e-waste workers' urinary mercury levels were 11.60±5.23 μg/g creatinine (range, 2.00 to 26.00 μg/g creatinine) and the mean airborne mercury levels were 17.00±0.50 μg/m (range, 3.00 to 29.00 μg/m). The urinary and airborne mercury levels were significantly correlated (=0.552, <0.001). The prevalence of self-reported symptoms was 46.8% for insomnia, 36.7% for muscle atrophy, 24.1% for weakness, and 20.3% for headaches.
Personal hygiene was found to be an important protective factor, and should therefore be stressed in educational programs. Employers should implement engineering measures to reduce urinary mercury levels and the prevalence of associated health symptoms among e-waste workers.
测定泰国南部电子垃圾处理工人的尿汞水平及其工作场所电子垃圾商店的空气中汞含量,描述尿汞水平与空气中汞含量之间的关联,并评估电子垃圾处理工人中汞暴露相关健康影响的患病率。
采用横断面研究方法,对泰国那空是贪玛叻府25家电子垃圾商店的79名工人进行访谈。通过问卷调查收集一般和职业特征、个人防护设备使用情况及个人卫生信息。采集尿液样本,使用冷蒸气原子吸收光谱仪汞分析仪测定汞含量。
电子垃圾处理工人的尿汞水平为11.60±5.23μg/g肌酐(范围为2.00至26.00μg/g肌酐),空气中汞的平均含量为17.00±0.50μg/m³(范围为3.00至29.00μg/m³)。尿汞水平与空气中汞含量显著相关(r = 0.552,P < 0.001)。自我报告症状的患病率分别为:失眠46.8%、肌肉萎缩36.7%、虚弱24.1%、头痛20.3%。
个人卫生是一个重要的保护因素,因此应在教育项目中加以强调。雇主应采取工程措施,以降低电子垃圾处理工人的尿汞水平及相关健康症状的患病率。