National University, Department of Community Health, San Diego, CA, United States.
University of Brasília, Department of Nursing, Brasilia, Brazil.
Waste Manag. 2018 Oct;80:26-39. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.08.047. Epub 2018 Sep 5.
There are approximately 15 million people engaged in waste collection or recycling activities in the world. Some of these dump sites are informal and people work in environments that are labor-intensive, unregulated, unregistered, low-paid, unrecorded, and environmentally hazardous. A systematic review was conducted to assess consequential health conditions and occupational risks that affect waste collectors in Brazil. The search was limited to Brazil because although the government closed dump sites, open-air dumping-the worst type of waste disposal-still occurs in about half of the country; moreover, Brazil is the only country to systematically collect data on the occupation, with an estimated 229,568 recyclable collectors of all types country-wide, which offers relevant and pertinent data on the topic. The results of the search indicated that nearly every region has individuals that work as recyclable collectors. As expected, the sites are full of occupational hazards to the workers that can include: long working hours; exposures to physical, chemical, mechanical, biological, ergonomic and social agents; and frequent work accidents. Exposure to these risks can result both in physical and psychological illnesses. In view of these findings, public policies could be strengthened by supporting and providing incentives to municipalities, schools, universities, health professionals, and all others who will contribute to the closure of open-air waste or poor waste disposal systems. Moreover, an improved awareness should be provided to the general population about environmental education and correct disposal of garbage. The goal of healthy waste disposal conditions ultimately decreases environmental and public health effects, while improving the working conditions, quality of life, and health outcomes for recyclable collectors.
全球约有 1500 万人从事废物收集或回收活动。其中一些垃圾场是非正规的，人们在劳动密集型、无监管、未注册、低薪、无记录且对环境有害的环境中工作。进行了一项系统评价，以评估影响巴西废物收集者的继发健康状况和职业风险。之所以将搜索范围限制在巴西，是因为尽管政府关闭了垃圾场，但露天倾倒——最恶劣的废物处理方式——仍在巴西约一半的地区发生；此外，巴西是唯一一个系统收集该职业数据的国家，全国估计有 229,568 名各类可回收垃圾收集者，这为该主题提供了相关和恰当的数据。搜索结果表明，几乎每个地区都有从事可回收垃圾收集的人。不出所料，这些场所充满了对工人的职业危害，包括：工作时间长；接触物理、化学、机械、生物、人体工程学和社会因素；以及频繁的工作事故。接触这些风险会导致身体和心理疾病。鉴于这些发现，可以通过支持和激励市政当局、学校、大学、卫生专业人员以及所有有助于关闭露天垃圾或垃圾处理不当系统的人，来加强公共政策。此外，应向公众提供更多关于环境教育和正确处理垃圾的意识。健康的废物处理条件的最终目标是减少环境和公共卫生影响，同时改善可回收垃圾收集者的工作条件、生活质量和健康结果。
