Research and Reports in Pulmonology

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Short Communication - Research and Reports in Pulmonology (2022) Volume 3, Issue 6

Respiratory Issues Unified to Electrical and Electronic Gear Squander Openness in the Hospitality Sector.

Alistair M. Tabarrok*

Department of Medicine, Memorial University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Canada

Corresponding Author:
Alistair M. Tabarrok
Department of Medicine
Memorial University
Faculty of Health Sciences, Canada
E-mail: tabarrok.am@mun.ca

Received: 05-Nov-2022, Manuscript No. AARRP-22-82387; Editor assigned: 07-Nov-2022, PreQC No. AARRP-22-82387(PQ); Reviewed: 21-Nov-2022, QC No. AARRP-22-82387; Revised: 25-Nov-2022, Manuscript No. AARRP-22-82387(R); Published: 02-Dec-2022, DOI:10.35841/aarrp-3.6.126

Citation: Tabarrok MA. Respiratory issues unified to electrical and electronic gear squander openness in the hospitality sector. Res Rep Pulomonol. 2022;3(6):126

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Abstract

Electrical and electronic equipment waste (e-waste) exposure is becoming a rising health hazard. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of e-waste exposure on respiratory symptoms and lung function indicators in workers engaged in informal recycling activities. Exposed e-waste was chosen at random. A questionnaire derived from the British Medical Research Council's standardised respiratory questionnaire was used to assess respiratory complaints. A portable spirometer was used to measure the participants' lung function. This huge public health threat should be made more widely known in other Sub-Saharan and Asian cities.

Keywords

Respiratory issues, Electrical and electronic equipment waste, Lung function.

Introduction

Scientific and technical developments have considerably improved the livelihoods of people all around the world in recent decades. Unfortunately, this leads to an increase in the production of significant amounts of garbage, mainly from electrical and electronic equipment, often known as e-waste [1].

E-waste encompasses a wide range of hazardous components, including lead, chromium, cadmium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants. These products are extremely hazardous to the environment and have a negative impact on human health. There are reports in the literature that show links between estimated exposures to these chemical products and respiratory system disorders such as impaired lung function, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer. Other organs or systems that may be affected by e-waste include the heart, genital organs, and the endocrine system.

Several million tonnes of e-waste are estimated to be generated globally each year. Western and Asian countries lead the globe in both the production and consumption of e-waste [2].

Despite the expanding global e-waste generation, recycling such chemical hazardous items remains a big challenge and is seldom carried out. Despite accounting for only 5.4% of global e-waste output, Sub-Saharan Africa has played a significant role in the flow of global e-waste. Furthermore, West African citizens are increasingly becoming second-class consumers for many rejected products [3], while others are recycled at a lower cost and often in precarious and deplorable hygiene, safety, and sanitary conditions.

Regardless of the 1992 Basel Convention articles, the European continent continues to discharge hazardous waste to Africa in order to avoid or lower the costs associated with its correct disposal. For example, one of the world's most well-known e-waste dumps, Agbogloshie, sometimes known as Europe's electronic garbage, is located in Ghana's Accra suburbs. Waste is dumped in the open and e-waste workers rush in, unprotected, in search of potentially relevant materials for their professional activities [4].

The risk to health from e-waste-related exposures to organic and inorganic chemicals is understandably concerning among workers who are directly involved in recycling activities, especially when done without any protection, and this is exacerbated by the informal nature of these activities for many workers, who are also unaware of the dangers.

More critically, e-waste recycling employees are not the only ones affected by this issue, as neighbouring people are also potentially exposed to the diffusion and propagation of pollutants created and their environmental repercussions [5]. All nations in West Africa, including Ghana and Nigeria, are affected at various levels by the issue of e-waste disposal. However, relatively few studies on this key public health concern have been conducted in these settings in the past, and they have mainly focused on general health disorders, not respiratory harm.

Conclusion

After controlling for other respiratory confounders, work with e-waste and subsequent exposure to chemicals including metals in the informal sector leads to a significantly higher frequency of respiratory complaints, primarily chest tightness and breathlessness, and a significant reduction in lung function parameters such as FEV1 and FVC. There is an urgent need to mobilise academic and scientific institutions, governments, and other stakeholders to address this growing public health concern in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asian nation urban areas.

References

  1. Grant K, Goldizen FC, Sly PD, et al. Health consequences of exposure to e-waste: a systematic review. Lancet Glob Health. 2013;1(6):e350-61.

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  2. Noel-Brune M, Goldizen FC, Neira M, et al. Health effects of exposure to e-waste. Lancet Glob Health. 2013;1(2):e70.

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  3. Amoabeng NAA, Arko-Mensah J, Botwe PK, et al. Effect of particulate matter exposure on respiratory health of e-waste workers at Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(9):3042.

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  4. Zheng G, Xu X, Li B, et al. Association between lung function in school children and exposure to three transition metals from an e-waste recycling area. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2013;23(1):67-72.

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  5. Sharma DC. Emissions from e-waste recycling threaten workers' health. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 2015;3(11):847-48.

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