Health System and Population Studies Division, Environmental Health and WASH, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
JMIR Res Protoc. 2024 Nov 29;13:e60289. doi: 10.2196/60289.
Plastic pollution has reached an alarming magnitude, defining the contemporary era as the "Plastic Age." Uncontrolled plastic production and inadequate recycling processes have led to widespread contamination of the environment with micro and nanoplastics.
The study aims to assess the environmental and human health consequences of exposure to microplastic particles (MPs) and their additives among plastic recycling workers in Dhaka. Specifically, it focuses on mapping the management pathways of plastic waste from collection to disposal, analyzing the types of MPs in the environment, and assessing the potential health impacts on plastic recycling workers.
A cross-sectional exploratory study design was used, consisting of exposed and nonexposed groups in plastic recycling sites in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study will establish possible associations between different health consequences and microplastic particle exposure with a systematic approach involving plastic recycling hot spot detection, management pathway mapping, and detecting the presence of environmental MP. MPs and heavy metals will be detected from environmental samples using fluorescence microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Human exposure will be assessed by detecting the metabolites of bisphenol and phthalates from urine samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and thoroughly evaluating endocrine, reproductive, respiratory, and renal functions. The sample size was derived from the mean concentrations of urinary bisphenol and phthalates metabolites, requiring the participation of 168 respondents. A 1:1 exposure to nonexposed stratification would be sufficient to meet our study objectives, considering the conventional level of power and confidence interval. This study protocol (PR#22111) has received approval from the Research Review Committee and Ethical Review Committee of the icddr,b.
The project was funded in August 2022. We started collecting environmental samples in January 2023 and completed participant enrollment, exposure survey, and biological sample collection by December 2023. We enrolled 84 adult plastic recycling workers with at least 5 years of exposure history and 84 nonexposed participants who were not involved with plastic recycling activities. Data analysis is currently underway, and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in November 2024.
The findings would provide valuable insights into the adverse impacts of microplastic pollution on both the environment and human health, aiding in better understanding the extent of the issue.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/60289.
塑料污染已达到惊人的程度，将当代定义为“塑料时代”。塑料生产不受控制，回收过程不完善，导致环境受到微塑料和纳米塑料的广泛污染。
本研究旨在评估孟加拉国达卡塑料回收工人接触微塑料颗粒（MPs）及其添加剂对环境和人类健康的影响。具体而言，本研究侧重于绘制从收集到处理的塑料废物管理途径，分析环境中 MPs 的类型，并评估塑料回收工人的潜在健康影响。
采用横断面探索性研究设计，包括孟加拉国达卡塑料回收点的暴露组和非暴露组。该研究将通过系统方法建立不同健康后果与微塑料颗粒暴露之间的可能关联，该方法涉及塑料回收热点检测、管理途径图绘制和检测环境中 MPs 的存在。将使用荧光显微镜、傅里叶变换红外光谱和电感耦合等离子体质谱法从环境样本中检测 MPs 和重金属。通过液相色谱-串联质谱法检测尿液样本中双酚和邻苯二甲酸盐的代谢物，全面评估内分泌、生殖、呼吸和肾功能，评估人体暴露情况。样本量是根据尿液中二酚和邻苯二甲酸盐代谢物的平均浓度得出的，需要 168 名受访者参与。考虑到常规的效能和置信区间，1:1 的暴露与非暴露分层就足以满足我们的研究目标。本研究方案（PR#22111）已获得 icddr,b 的研究审查委员会和伦理审查委员会的批准。
该项目于 2022 年 8 月获得资助。我们于 2023 年 1 月开始收集环境样本，并于 2023 年 12 月完成参与者招募、暴露调查和生物样本采集。我们招募了 84 名从事塑料回收工作至少 5 年的成年塑料回收工人和 84 名不从事塑料回收活动的非暴露参与者。数据分析正在进行中，预计第一批结果将于 2024 年 11 月提交发表。
研究结果将为微塑料污染对环境和人类健康的不良影响提供有价值的见解，帮助更好地了解问题的严重程度。
国际注册报告标识符（IRRID）：DERR1-10.2196/60289。
