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Dangerous levels of toxic chemicals found in blood of Indonesia’s waste workers
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According to its Environment Ministry, Indonesia produces 56.6 million tonnes of waste annually.
PHOTO: AFP
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SURABAYA – A new study has found that Indonesia’s waste pickers and waste sorters, the often-overlooked backbone of the country’s recycling sector, carry dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies because of chronic exposure to microplastics.
The study was conducted by the Wonjin Institute for Occupational Environmental Health (WIOEH) in collaboration with environmental watchdog Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation (Ecoton) and the Faculty of Medicine at Airlangga University from August to November.
