HBM4EU E-waste study – An untargeted metabolomics approach to characterize metabolic changes during E-waste recycling

作者：Lucyna Kozłowska, Susana Viegas, Paul T.J. Scheepers, Radu Corneliu Duca, Lode Godderis, Carla Martins, Krzesimir Ciura, Karolina Jagiełło, Maria João Silva, Selma Mahiout, Inese Mārtiņsone, Linda Matisāne, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Tomasz Puzyn, Monika Sijko-Szpańska, Jelle Verdonck, Tiina Santonen · 发表于：Environment International · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.envint.2025.109281 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Recycling and Waste Management Techniques、Microplastics and Plastic Pollution

• Untargeted metabolomics is a novel tool to explore the effects of exposure. • E-waste recycling is connected to mixture exposure. • Exposure to a mixture of chemicals is associated with a multidirectional effect on metabolism. • Effects of exposure: inflammation, changes in hormones, neurotransmitters, bile acids, energy metabolism. 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. T...