BACKGROUND There is an increasing evidence that the incidence of work-related pulmonary problems is greater in waste collectors than in the general workforce. AIMS To evaluate the respiratory health of municipal solid waste workers (MSWWs). METHODS One hundred and eighty-four municipal employees of Keratsini (104 MSWWs and 80 controls) participated in a cross-sectional study. All participan...

AIM To conduct a systematic review of this relationship using available published observational studies in the field of solid municipal waste treatment. METHODS The review of the scientific literature was based on Medline and Scopus databases up to December 2012, using the keywords HBV, waste, solid, treatment, workers, disposal, and refuse in different combinations. RESULTS 160 studies wer...

a trend of significant increase in municipal solid waste generation has been recorded worldwide. this has been found due to over population growth rate, industrialization, urbanization and economic growth. consumerism speed has been found very high covering around more then 50% of total population since last decade due to higher economic growth, which has ultimately resulted in increased solid ...

Waste collectors have a theoretical risk of Hepatitis A virus infection. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis A virus infection (HAV) among municipal solid waste workers (MSWWs) in a municipality of central Greece. A seroprevalence study of HAV was conducted among 208 employees (100 waste collectors and 108 municipal gardeners) of a municipality in ce...

A study on hepatitis B and C virus seroprevalence was carried out on blood samples from 327 municipal solid waste workers in Messina (Italy) to verify the hypothesis that this category of workers is at high risk for such diseases. The fact that 32.41% of all the subjects showed previous exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV) substantiates the need to proceed with compulsory HBV vaccine prophylaxis...

The state of the art on Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management is based on the domestic separation of materials produced. After domestic separation, the resident has to transfer the separated materials to the MSW manager through the hands of collection workers. It is exactly at this stage that an end-use product changes its status and property becomes waste. This paper analyzes and compares the...

Waste management, namely, collection, transport, sorting and processing, and disposal, is an issue of social concern owing to its environmental impact and effects on public health. In fact, waste management activities are carried out according to procedures that can have various negative effects on the environment and, potentially, on human health. The aim of our study was to assess the potenti...

This study identifies and analyses the occupational risks associated with solid waste management practices in the informal enterprises of Gweru. Many concerns have been raised about the potential harm from waste to the environment and the general public, but the risks and consequent costs of occupational hazards in waste management have received little attention in the rush to adopt or adapt te...