Occupational Health Hazards among Double Sided Printed Circuit Board Manufacturers

Abstract

  Workers in printed circuit boards (PrCBs) industry have a long history of occupational exposures to toxic substances, however little is known about the long-term health consequences of such exposure. Aims: To determine the prevalence of some health problems among manufacturers of printed circuit boards and to formulate recommendations for occupational safety and health at this factory. Subjects and Methods: A case-control study was conducted in the first double sided printed circuit board manufacturing factory in Egypt, during the period from December 2012 to January 2013. Fifty three workers engaged in the process of printed circuit board manufacture were matched with sixty six referent subjects from the administrative department. All workers were personally interviewed filling a special questionnaire involving occupational history and full clinical examination. Investigations as Lead, Cadmium, serum copper and zinc levels were measured. Results: Eighten exposed workers (34%), had occupational asthma; 7 (13.2%) had contact dermatitis; 8 (15.1%) had ocular manifestations versus 11 (16.7%); 1 (1.5%); 4 (6.1%); 1 (1.5%) respectively for the control group. Blood levels of lead (48.84±10.0 versus. 13.60±4.70, p<0.001), cadmium (35.09±14.0 versus 23.90±5.70, p<0.001), and copper (1.32±0.64 versus 0.94±0.33, p<0.001), were statistically significantly higher among the exposed group than controls, while zinc levels (40.75±19.34 versus 77.31±15.21, p<0.001) were statistically significantly lower among the exposed group than controls. Blood levels of lead (r=. 543; p<. 001) and copper (r=. 463; p<. 001) were found to be positively correlated with the duration of employment. Conclusion: PrCBs manufacturing has been implicated with many health problems. Recommendations: Proper safety measures should be enforced in the workplace. Pre-employment and periodic medical examination should be done for exposed workers. Further studies are recommended for PrCBs workers.