Background: Informal recycling is widespread in developing countries and involves the collection, sorting, and selling of recyclable materials. Workers are exposed to hazards including the risk of cuts and musculoskeletal injury, infection, exposure to medical waste, and respiratory conditions like bronchitis, pneumonia, and sinusitis and often use insufficient personal protective equipment.
Objective: Assess the occupational and environmental health hazards faced by informal recyclers working at a landfill in Asunción, Paraguay.
Methods: We surveyed 102 informal recyclers and 12 formal recyclers about occupational health, workplace safety, general health, and household economics. Personal air samples were used to assess respirable dust and nobel metal exposure on 18 workers.
Results: Exposures to hazards such as syringes, medical waste, and broken glass as well as risk factors such as eating food found in the trash, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and inadequate sanitation were frequent among informal recyclers. Minors under 18 years of age constituted 13% of the workforce and experienced equal or greater exposure to these hazards. Formal recyclers had better access to water, sanitation, PPE, and experienced fewer cuts, injuries, and illnesses than formal recyclers. Informal recyclers were exposed to respirable dust that were considerably higher than they would have been exposed to at home or doing other work in their neighborhood.
Conclusions: Better regulation of sharps and medical waste and the provision of adequate sanitation and personal protective equipment would address the most pressing occupational health issues in this high risk group.