SynthesisOccupational medicine (Oxford, England)2017
Systematic Review: Occupational illness in the waste and recycling sector.
Synthesis in Occupational medicine (Oxford, England), 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 109 citations in OpenAlex.
- Macular degeneration and occupational risk factors: a systematic review.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2019Pooled it
- Work-Related Asthma From Exposure to Cardboard and Paper Products.American journal of industrial medicine · 2026Article
- Microplastics and Human Health: A Global Public Health Crisis.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine · 2026Article
- Occupational health risks and working conditions of sanitation workers in Nepal: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Ergonomic risk assessment in municipal waste management: integrating standardized methods with real-world context.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Frequency of Non-Fatal Workplace Injuries Among Waste Recyclers at Buy-Back Centres in Johannesburg, South Africa: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Occupational health in the era of climate change and the green transition: a call for research.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Review
- A Critical Review of the Hydrometallurgy and Pyrometallurgical Recovery Processes of Platinum Group Metals from End-of-Life Fuel Cells.Membranes · 2025Review
- Microbial exposure during recycling of domestic waste: a cross-sectional study of composition and associations with inflammatory markers.Occupational and environmental medicine · 2024Article
- Associations between bioaerosols, lung function work-shift changes and inflammatory markers: A study of recycling workers.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2024Article
- Health Outcomes Related to Multiple Exposures in Occupational Settings: A Review.Safety and health at work · 2024Review
- Respiratory Diseases Associated With Organic Dust Exposure.The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice · 2024Review
- The OCCHLTH Mnemonic-Construction and Content of a Tool for Increasing Awareness of Occupational Illness and Injury.Journal of occupational and environmental medicine · 2024Review
- A Systematized Overview of Published Reviews on Biological Hazards, Occupational Health, and Safety.Safety and health at work · 2023Review
- Cytotoxicity ofToxins · 2022Article
- Mercury Exposure among E-Waste Recycling Workers in Colombia: Perceptions of Safety, Risk, and Access to Health Information.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Application of impedance measurement to investigate in vitro inhalation toxicity of bacteria.Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England) · 2021Article
- Respiratory Symptoms and Pulmonary Function of Workers in the Waste Management Industry.Cureus · 2021Article
- Comparison of respiratory and skin disorders between residents living close to and far from Solous landfill site in Lagos State, Nigeria.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2021Article
- Potential Environmental and Human Health Risks Caused by Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (ARB), Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) and Emerging Contaminants (ECs) from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfill.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe waste and recycling sector is a growing part of industry. Whether health surveillance is indicated and how it should be undertaken is unclear.
aimsTo undertake a review of the literature to identify hazards to health, biological effects and occupational illnesses for workers in the sector.
methodsA systematic review of the published literature and two UK databases.
resultsRates of fatal, non-fatal injuries and self-reported work-related illness were found to be higher in the waste and recycling sector than in UK industry as a whole. There was an increased prevalence of respiratory, gastro-intestinal and skin complaints in workers exposed to compost relative to controls. They may also be at increased risk of extrinsic allergic alveolitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, occupational asthma and abnormalities of lung function. Workers involved with the recycling of batteries and cables may be at risk of lead poisoning and exposure to other heavy metals. There were case reports of mercury poisoning from the recycling of fluorescent lights. Cases of occupational asthma have been reported in association with wood and paper recycling. The recycling of e-waste may cause exposure to heavy metals and organic pollutants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, dioxins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, which have been associated with damage to DNA and adverse neonatal outcomes.
conclusionsIll-health and adverse biological effects have been described in waste and recycling workers, but their true prevalence has probably not been captured. Targeted health surveillance may be required to assess exposure and to identify occupational illness.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.