HBM4EU E-waste study – An untargeted metabolomics approach to characterize metabolic changes during E-waste recycling
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Date
2025-02
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Abstract
E-waste contains hazardous chemicals that may be a direct health risk for workers involved in recycling. We conducted an untargeted metabolomics analysis of urine samples collected from male e-waste processing workers to explore metabolic changes associated with chemical exposures in e-waste recycling in Belgium, Finland, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal. Questionnaire data and urine samples were obtained from workers involved in the processing of e-waste (sorting, dismantling, shredding, pre-processing, metal, and non-metal processing), as well as from controls with no known occupational exposure. Pre- and post-shift urine samples were collected and analysed using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). A total of 32 endogenous urinary metabolites were annotated with a Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) above 2, indicating that e-waste recycling is mainly associated with changes in steroid hormone and neurotransmitter metabolism, energy metabolism, bile acid biosynthesis, and inflammation. The highest VIP was observed for dopamine-o-quinone, which is linked to Parkinson's disease. These and other changes in metabolism in workers employed in the processing of e-waste need further verification in targeted studies.
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Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Keywords
Biomarkers, Mixture exposure, Occupational exposure, Recycling, Urine metabolomics, 3.3 Health sciences, 1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database, General Environmental Science, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
Citation
Kozlowska, L, Viegas, S, Scheepers, P T J, Duca, R C, Godderis, L, Martins, C, Ciura, K, Jagiello, K, João Silva, M, Mahiout, S, Mārtiņsone, I, Matisāne, L, Nieuwenhuyse, A V, Puzyn, T, Sijko-Szpanska, M, Verdonck, J, Santonen, T & the HBM4EU E-waste Study Team 2025, 'HBM4EU E-waste study – An untargeted metabolomics approach to characterize metabolic changes during E-waste recycling', Environment International, vol. 196, 109281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109281