Factors Associated with Blood Lead Levels Among Informal Electronic Waste Workers in Prachinburi Province
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Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to examine factors associated with blood lead levels among informal electronic waste sorting workers in Sri Maha Phot District, Prachinburi Province, Thailand.
The study sample consisted of 89 participants from 19 establishments. Data were collected using a questionnaire on lead-related diseases and lead exposure behaviors,which was validated by experts (Index of Item-Objective Congruence [IOC] = 0.9) and demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.8). Data collection was conducted between January and July 2025 through face-to-face interviews and blood lead level testing. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test). The results showed that 19.1% of participants had blood lead levels ≥ 5 μg/dL, which is considered a level requiring health surveillance. Factors significantly associated with blood lead levels (p < 0.05) included wearing a dust-protective mask or face covering (p = 0.028)
and changing clothes before returning home (p = 0.045). These findings indicate that personal hygiene behaviors play an important role in preventing lead exposure.Policy implications include promoting proactive health screening among electronic waste workers, enhancing occupational health literacy with emphasis on personal hygiene behaviors that reduce lead exposure such as wearing dust-protective masks
and changing clothes before returning home and supporting workplaces in providing appropriate personal protective equipment.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
ผู้แต่งที่ตีพิมพ์กับวารสารโรคและภัยสุขภาพ ภาคตะวันออก ประเทศไทย จะต้องยอมรับเงื่อนไขต่อไปนี้ :
ผู้แต่งจะต้องสงวนลิขสิทธิ์และให้สิทธิ์กับวารสารในการตีพิมพ์เผยแพร่บทความ โดยบทความจะถือเป็นลิขสิทธ์ของ สำนักงานป้องกันควบคุมโรคที่ 6 จังหวัดชลบุรี
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