A new study highlights the difficult choices facing thousands of workers at Agbogbloshie, one of the world’s largest e-waste processing sites in Accra, Ghana. Around 6,000 people earn a living dismantling and recycling discarded electronics, often using methods such as open burning and acid extraction that expose them to dangerous levels of pollution. Researchers found that workers regularly inhale toxic particles at concentrations five times higher than World Health Organization safety standards, increasing risks of cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses. Despite the dangers, many workers depend on the industry because it offers better income opportunities than available alternatives. The study argues that governments and international regulators should improve oversight, provide safer equipment, ensure fair pay, and strengthen community infrastructure. Researchers say meaningful reform is essential if the global circular economy is to become both sustainable and socially just.
The Conversation
