Risk Factors For Respiratory Disorders Among West African Workers In The E-Waste Sector
Year: 2020
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Introduction : In sub-Saharan Africa, the management of e-waste is increasingly involving workers who may not always be aware of the health risks related. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of respiratory diseases and their risk factors among workers in this informal sector in the West African region. Methods : A cross-sectional descriptive and analytical survey was conducted in the economic capitals of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Mali on e-waste collection, treatment and recycling sites from November 13 to December 9, 2019. A total of 638 reclaimers, repairers and recyclers were selected by stratified sampling taking into account their representativeness by country. The risk factors for respiratory disorders were identified by mixed-effects logistic regression with a random effect on the country variable. Results : Among e-workers, the prevalence of respiratory disorders expressed is 47.9%. Their predictive factors were non-participation in e-waste sorting (p<0.001), participation in smelting lead batteries (p=0.001), previous exposure to mining (p<0.001), cooking in the living room (p<0.001), living in an open space (p=0),003) or in the family home (p=0.004), history of respiratory problems (p<0.001), feeling abnormal heartbeats in the last two weeks (p=0.016), occurrence of fever in the last two weeks (p<0.001) and not washing hands with soap (p<0.001). Conclusion : Awareness-raising interventions should be developed for this category of workers to reduce practices that pose a risk to their respiratory health and the adoption of protective measures. Key words: risk factor, respiratory disorder, informal sector, e-waste, West Africa.
Source: ISEE Conference Abstracts
Language: English
Subfield: Waste Management and Disposal
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3167185370