TY - JOUR
T1 - HBM4EU E-waste study – An untargeted metabolomics approach to characterize metabolic changes during E-waste recycling
AU - Kozlowska, Lucyna
AU - Viegas, Susana
AU - Scheepers, Paul T.J.
AU - Duca, Radu C.
AU - Godderis, Lode
AU - Martins, Carla
AU - Ciura, Krzesimir
AU - Jagiello, Karolina
AU - João Silva, Maria
AU - Mahiout, Selma
AU - Mārtiņsone, Inese
AU - Matisāne, Linda
AU - Nieuwenhuyse, An van
AU - Puzyn, Tomasz
AU - Sijko-Szpanska, Monika
AU - Verdonck, Jelle
AU - Santonen, Tiina
AU - the HBM4EU E-waste Study Team
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s)
PY - 2025/2
Y1 - 2025/2
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Biomarkers
KW - Mixture exposure
KW - Occupational exposure
KW - Recycling
KW - Urine metabolomics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85215410622&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109281
DO - 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109281
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85215410622
SN - 0160-4120
VL - 196
JO - Environment International
JF - Environment International
M1 - 109281
ER -