Overlapping vulnerabilities in workers of the electronics recycling industry formal sector: A commentary.

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8101110 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1097-0274 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02713586 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Am J Ind Med Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: New York Ny : Wiley-Blackwell
Original Publication: New York : Alan R. Liss, c1980-

Electronics* ; Industry* ; Recycling* ; Vulnerable Populations*; Occupational Health/*trends; Developed Countries ; Health Status Disparities ; Humans ; Occupational Exposure

Vulnerabilities in workers performing electronics recycling (e-recycling) in the informal sector worldwide have been well documented. However, the growing e-recycling industry in the formal sector still brings many challenges to protect the health of workers and their environment. This commentary aims to draw attention to the overlooked vulnerabilities faced by the workers of the e-recycling industry formal sector in high-income countries and discuss the potential impact on health inequalities experienced by these workers. Expanding the definition of vulnerability, not limited to the biological susceptibility to chemical and physical exposures, the demographic characteristics of workers in the e-recycling formal sector often reveal social groups known to be disadvantaged regarding occupational exposures and health effects, including young workers, immigrant or ethnic minorities, and workers with mental or physical health issues or disabilities. Overlapping structural vulnerabilities of the e-recycling industry stem from its newness, its working conditions, its conditions of employment, and the sociodemographic characteristics of its workforce. This phenomenon in high-income countries is not restricted to the e-recycling industry alone. It is rather a symptom of more generalized macro socioeconomical phenomena. The present challenges are in line with the new gig and green economies and changes in the global market, and their consequences on the solid waste sector. Continued efforts to strengthen the inclusion of social aspects of health into the complex interaction of the structural vulnerabilities met by e-recycling workers will be essential to anticipate and prevent health issues in this essential but still emerging workforce.
(© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Workplace Health Saf. 2016 Jan;64(1):24-7. (PMID: 26800895)
Lancet Glob Health. 2013 Dec;1(6):e350-61. (PMID: 25104600)
Int J Environ Health Res. 2012;22(6):500-17. (PMID: 22428915)
Am J Ind Med. 2010 Feb;53(2):84-94. (PMID: 20094988)
Prof Saf. 2014 Jun;59(6):52-57. (PMID: 26566296)
Ann Work Expo Health. 2017 Jan 1;61(1):3-15. (PMID: 28395315)
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015 Jul 17;64(27):743-5. (PMID: 26182192)
Am J Ind Med. 2017 Jan;60(1):1-10. (PMID: 27779787)
Ann Glob Health. 2014 Jul-Aug;80(4):286-95. (PMID: 25459330)
Am J Ind Med. 2010 Feb;53(2):104-15. (PMID: 19816887)
Ann Work Expo Health. 2020 Mar 10;64(3):236-249. (PMID: 31993629)
Environ Int. 2019 Jul;128:244-253. (PMID: 31059919)
Disabil Rehabil. 2020 Apr;42(8):1153-1166. (PMID: 30686038)
Am J Ind Med. 2015 Nov;58(11):1127-37. (PMID: 26471878)
BMC Public Health. 2018 Jun 20;18(1):770. (PMID: 29925349)
Occup Med (Lond). 2017 Dec 02;67(8):626-636. (PMID: 29165683)
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2007 Apr;33(2):96-104. (PMID: 17460797)
Chemosphere. 2019 Mar;219:472-481. (PMID: 30551114)
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2015;12(7):482-8. (PMID: 25738822)
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Sep 14;15(9):. (PMID: 30223449)
Ethn Health. 2017 Feb;22(1):17-35. (PMID: 27174680)
Curr Environ Health Rep. 2017 Sep;4(3):349-354. (PMID: 28812286)
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2017 Jun;14(6):401-408. (PMID: 27936351)
Am J Ind Med. 2014 Jul;57(7):764-75. (PMID: 24464742)
Int Health. 2019 May 1;11(3):203-214. (PMID: 30452624)
Anthropol Work Rev. 2018 Nov 19;39(2):116-123. (PMID: 31080311)
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 06;16(24):. (PMID: 31817587)
Can J Public Health. 2018 Jun;109(3):303-311. (PMID: 29981078)
Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Apr;119(4):431-8. (PMID: 21081302)
Science. 1977 Apr 8;196(4286):129-36. (PMID: 847460)
J Environ Health. ;79(3):8-16. (PMID: 29120130)
Environ Int. 2018 Jan;110:173-192. (PMID: 29122313)
Am J Public Health. 2018 Mar;108(3):306-311. (PMID: 29345994)
Am J Ind Med. 2012 Jun;55(6):537-44. (PMID: 22457221)
J Health Pollut. 2019 Jun 04;9(22):190610. (PMID: 31259086)
Saf Sci. 2018 Mar;103:62-69. (PMID: 29375194)
Environ Int. 2016 Oct;95:157-66. (PMID: 27568575)
Am J Occup Ther. 1974 Mar;28(3):137-40. (PMID: 4812224)

CC999999 United States ImCDC Intramural CDC HHS; R25 ES023635 United States ES NIEHS NIH HHS; 2R25ES023635-04 International National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Keywords: e-waste; electronics recycling; formal sector; vulnerable populations; workers

Date Created: 20200828 Date Completed: 20210816 Latest Revision: 20221005

20240829

PMC8011458

10.1002/ajim.23173

32851678