Assessment of Impact on Health of Children Working in the Garbage Dumping Site in Dhaka, Bangladesh

• Published in: Journal of tropical pediatrics (1980) Vol. 57; no. 6; pp. 472 - 475
• Main Authors: LAHIRY, Gargy, RAHMAN, Tania, MAHBUB HASAN, A. K. M, DUTTA, Alak K, ARIF, Md, HOWLADER, Zakir H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01-12-2011
• Subjects: Adolescent; Bangladesh; Biological and medical sciences; Carbonyl compounds; Case-Control Studies; Child; Children; DNA Damage; Employment; Environmental Pollutants - adverse effects; Garbage; General aspects; Health risks; Health Status; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Lipid Peroxides - blood; Lipids; Liver; Liver Function Tests; Medical sciences; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Oxidative Stress; Protein Carbonylation; Proteins; Refuse; Risk assessment; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances - metabolism; Asia; Bangladesh; Human; Pediatrics; Oxidative stress; health risk; Pollution; environment pollution; Risk factor; Environment; Tropical medicine; garbage dumping; Child
• ISSN: 0142-6338; 1465-3664
• DOI: 10.1093/tropej/fmr002

Waste dumping is one of the major causes of environment pollution in Bangladesh. This study was designed to assess the impact on health of children working in one of the garbage dumping sites in Dhaka. Blood samples were collected from exposed (n = 20, aged: 8-15 years, exposed to dumped garbage from 6 months to 6 years) and control subjects (n = 15, age matched and never worked in the garbage dumping site). Oxidative stress markers like lipid hydroperoxides, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and protein carbonyl content were measured. Alkaline comet assay was performed to assess the possible damage in DNA. To check the consequences of possible toxic exposure, we performed liver function tests of the study subjects. Oxidative stress-mediated damage of macromolecules was found to be significantly increased in the exposed children. Liver function tests were found normal. Thus, the children working in garbage dumping site are in severe health risk.