Occupational exposure associated with unstructured, informal e-waste recycling has received very limited attention. This study aimed to quantify the occupational physical exposures among informal e-waste workers at the largest e-waste site in Africa.

A cross-sectional field survey of 163 male e-waste workers was conducted using a self-report occupational physical activity questionnaire, along with direct work observations, and pedometer estimates of walking activity for a subset of workers (n = 42).

Results indicated significant differences in self-reported 7-day work exposures among the three main e-waste job categories, namely, collectors (n = 70), dismantlers (n = 73) and burners (n = 20). Prolonged walking, sitting and standing on five or more days in the workweek was frequently reported by collectors (87%), dismantlers (82%) and burners (60%), respectively. Nearly 90% of collectors and burners and 60% of dismantlers reported lifting and carrying on five or more days in the workweek.

The exposure combinations identified suggest a risk for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Findings call attention to the need for research examining potential associations between physical exposures and MSDs affecting e-waste workers in Agbogbloshie. The high exposure variability both between and within workers has implications for future exposure assessments conducted in unregulated, informal work settings.

与非结构化、非正式的电子废物回收相关的职业暴露受到的关注非常有限。本研究旨在量化非洲最大电子垃圾场的非正式电子垃圾处理工人的职业身体暴露情况。

使用自我报告的职业体力活动调查问卷、直接工作观察以及计步器对部分工人步行活动的估计（n = 42），对 163 名男性电子垃圾工人进行了横断面现场调查。

结果表明，三个主要电子废物工作类别（即收集者（n = 70）、拆解者（n = 73）和燃烧者（n = 20））自我报告的 7 天工作暴露存在显着差异。收集者 (87%)、拆解者 (82%) 和燃烧者 (60%) 经常报告在工作周内长时间行走、坐着和站立五天或以上。近 90% 的收集者和燃烧者以及 60% 的拆解者表示每周工作时间为五天或更多天。

确定的暴露组合表明存在肌肉骨骼疾病 (MSD) 的风险。研究结果引起人们对研究的必要性的关注，以检验物理暴露与影响 Agbogbloshie 电子废物工人的 MSD 之间的潜在关联。工人之间和工人内部的高暴露变异性对未来在不受监管的非正式工作环境中进行的暴露评估产生影响。