{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T01:05:40Z","timestamp":1789002340477,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753228800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"United States National Institutes of Health\/Fogarty International Center (US NIH\/FIC)","award":["P20TW009497"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["P20TW009497"]}]},{"name":"United States National Institutes of Health\/Fogarty International Center (US NIH\/FIC)","award":["R24TW009497-02S1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R24TW009497-02S1"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Toxics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling in informal settings like Agbogbloshie in Accra, Ghana, releases toxic metals into the environment, posing serious health risks to nearby residents, particularly children. This study assessed the body burdens of lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As) and their association with cognitive function in schoolchildren living within 1 km of the Agbogbloshie site. Method: A cross-sectional study involving 56 pupils collected demographic data and blood and urine samples and administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children\u2014Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). Blood was tested for Pb and Mn and urine for Cd, Cr, Ni, and As. Associations between metal levels and cognitive outcomes were examined using regression analyses, adjusting for confounders. Result: Children showed elevated metal levels, with mean blood Pb of 60.43 \u00b5g\/L and urinary s of 21.50 \u00b5g\/L. Symptoms of cognitive dysfunction were common: 75% reported confusion, 67.9% poor memory, and 66% poor concentration. Urinary Cr levels were significantly associated with lower Full-Scale IQ (\u03b2 = \u221218.42, p &lt; 0.05) and increased difficulty in decision-making (OR = 0.1, p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: These findings underscore the neurodevelopmental risks of heavy metal exposure from e-waste in low- and middle-income countries and call for urgent public health interventions and policy actions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics13080615","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]],"date-time":"2025-07-23T16:04:51Z","timestamp":1753286691000},"page":"615","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Cognitive Functions Among Pupils in Schools Near and Around an Electronic Waste Recycling Site at Agbogbloshie in Accra, Ghana"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9664-5812","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Serwaa A.","family":"Bawua","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG13, Ghana"},{"name":"West Africa Center for Global Environmental & Occupational Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra GA-270-0053, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kwame M.","family":"Agbeko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG13, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5538-6516","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ibrahim","family":"Issah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG13, Ghana"},{"name":"West Africa Center for Global Environmental & Occupational Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra GA-270-0053, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5826-4461","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Afua A.","family":"Amoabeng-Nti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG13, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Saskia","family":"Waldschmidt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine, Aachen Technical University, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katja","family":"L\u00f6hndorf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine, Aachen Technical University, 52074 Aachen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0746-3254","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thomas","family":"K\u00fcpper","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine, Aachen Technical University, 52074 Aachen, Germany"},{"name":"Faculty for Travel Medicine, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Scotland, Glasgow 232-242, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jonathan","family":"Hogarh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi GPS AK-448-4944, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3079-5337","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Julius N.","family":"Fobil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra P.O. Box LG13, Ghana"},{"name":"West Africa Center for Global Environmental & Occupational Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra GA-270-0053, Ghana"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Acquah, A.A., D\u2019Souza, C., Martin, B., Arko-Mensah, J., Nti, A.A., Kwarteng, L., Takyi, S., Quakyi, I.A., Robins, T.G., and Fobil, J.N. (November, January 28). Processes and challenges associated with informal electronic waste recycling at Agbogbloshie, a suburb of Accra, Ghana. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting 2019, Seattle, WA, USA.","DOI":"10.1177\/1071181319631219"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lebbie, T.S., Moyebi, O.D., Asante, K.A., Fobil, J., Brune-Drisse, M.N., Suk, W.A., Sly, P.D., Gorman, J., and Carpenter, D.O. (2021). 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