Occupational exposure in recycling facilities (Signal)

Exposure and health impacts in waste management 

The EU’s shift towards a circular economy — via the second Circular Economy Action Plan — is expected to significantly change the level and nature of employment in the waste sector. However, little research has been done into working conditions in the waste management sector or the wider circular economy. As the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work notes, these employees can be exposed to substances that cause various health issues, including acute toxic effects, allergies, cancer, infections and respiratory symptoms. 

Occupational exposure from handling WEEE 

WEEE continues to be one of the EU’s fastest-growing waste streams. Between 2012-2021, the total collected WEEE in the EU increased by 40% from around 3 million to 5 million tonnes. Workers handling and recycling WEEE can be exposed to hazardous substances, including flame retardants (e.g. triphenyl phosphate), heavy metals (e.g. lead, nickel and cadmium), plasticisers such as phthalates (e.g. Di-‘isononyl’ phthalate), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and others.  

This exposure may lead to adverse health impacts, particularly in facilities with insufficient protective risk management measures. For example, one review found that people exposed to e-waste had elevated levels of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, which could increase the risk of negative health effects (e.g. altering hormone levels and impacting neonatal growth).  Furthermore, almost half of WEEE does not reach appropriate treatment plants but ends up in metals scrap and residual waste, is illegally exported or is simply unaccounted for. This poses a high risk for those ultimately handling this waste without adequate precautions. 

Further evidence of the negative impact of WEEE handling comes from Sweden and Belgium. In Sweden, significantly elevated levels of heavy metals were observed in the blood, plasma and urine of WEEE recycling workers. In Belgium, high levels of exposure to toxic organic pollutants (e.g. brominated flame retardants and dioxins in dust) were noted in three shredder plants.  

Looking to the future, it is expected that the volume of WEEE being handled in the EU will continue to grow — driven by the increasing demand for electrical equipment, circular economy and zero pollution ambitions, and existing requirements for handling these materials set out in the WEEE Directive. By extension, it is likely that there will also be an increase in the number of workers exposed to hazardous chemicals found in WEEE.   

That said, the relative amount of hazardous substances in EEE is expected to decrease via regulatory requirements and voluntary initiatives (although the use of new hazardous substances in EEE could act against this trend). The RoHS Directive has restricted the use of some hazardous substances (including cadmium, lead and mercury) in EEE products. 

Remaining challenges and data gaps  

More research needs to be conducted into workers’ exposure in EU waste management facilities — although such efforts face significant challenges, the sources of which are listed below:  

• Worker exposure can occur at different stages in the waste recycling chain, including at collection, sorting, dismantling, shredding and/or grinding, as well as during further pre-processing and purification; 

• Workers may be exposed via different pathways, such as inhalation, incidental ingestion or dermal exposure to chemicals. There is also the possibility of secondary exposure, where particulates are deposited on clothing and accidentally ingested or inhaled; 

• Worker exposure to harmful chemicals may be direct or indirect during e-waste processing. For example, exposure may come from recycling equipment components, substances added as part of the recovery process (i.e. acids) or substances produced via recycling ; 

• Workers may be exposed in the formal (regulated, often industrial-scale) or non-formal (often smaller scale with no documentation on the management of hazardous chemicals and materials) e-waste recycling sectors ; 

• Workers’ exposure in facilities applying high treatment standards, e.g. the WEEELABEX standards, might differ from those not applying them. 

As such, while projects like HBM4EU have explored occupational chemical risks, there are insufficient data on the exposure of recycling and other waste treatment facility workers. Nevertheless, current evidence suggests that occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals from WEEE is a specific issue that merits further exploration. To this end, the Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) is looking to build on the work of HBM4EU and establish more consistent methods for occupational biomonitoring across the EU.  

Relevant objectives under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability

• Promote safe and clean recycling solutions, including chemical recycling and waste management technologies

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Eliminate and remediate

EU indicator framework for chemicals

Other relevant indicators and signals

Recycling materials from green energy technologies (Signal)

Leachate pollution from landfills (Signal)

Risks of chemical mixtures for human health in Europe (Signal)

Safe and sustainable by design chemicals and materials (Signal)