CDC: Mercury Exposure a Concern in Electronic Waste Recycling
The growth of the electronic waste recycling industry “raises challenges related to workers’ health” in part due to risks from occupational exposure to mercury, according to a report published by CDC in January. Workers in this industry can be exposed to mercury through the inhalation of mercury vapor and mercury-containing dust. The CDC report focuses on the results of a NIOSH health hazard evaluation of an electronics waste and lamp recycling facility in Ohio that found levels exceeding the ACGIH Biological Exposure Index (BEI) of inorganic mercury in urine among six of 14 workers, one of whom worked outside the lamp recycling area. (ACGIH’s BEI is 20 μg/g creatinine.) Environmental air sampling found mercury in all direct area air samples, including those from “nonproduction areas” like a conference room and material storage area, with some samples exceeding the ACGIH Threshold Limit Value of 25 μg/m3 and the NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 50 μg/m3. One air sample from a production area exceeded OSHA’s permissible exposure limit of 100 μg/m3. These findings show that all workers at these types of facilities, even those who are not directly involved with electronics waste recycling processes, are at risk of exposure to mercury, the report explains.
The health hazard evaluation also noted “a disparity in exposure levels among workers with different primary languages and job tenure.” For instance, four of the six workers whose spot urine mercury samples exceeded the ACGIH BEI primarily spoke Spanish, and the median job tenure of workers with elevated mercury levels was eight months. According to the report, the eight workers with mercury levels below ACGIH’s BEI primarily spoke English and had a median job tenure of 23 months. As these findings “[suggest] potential barriers to effective communication and training,” the report urges employers to provide training in workers’ preferred languages.
“Employers at recycling facilities can implement comprehensive exposure mitigation strategies that align with the hierarchy of controls,” CDC’s report continues. “These strategies include enclosing spaces with the highest potential for mercury exposure to prevent contamination of nonproduction areas, improved ventilation, use of appropriate [personal protective equipment], regular exposure surveillance, and training programs tailored to worker needs.”
The report also urges health departments to be aware of the potential for occupational exposure to mercury at electronic waste recycling facilities and recommends that clinicians “remain vigilant for signs and symptoms of mercury toxicity” among patients who work in this industry.
The full report is available in the Jan. 9, 2025, issue of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
