It said the unscientific and unregulated open burning of waste was impacting urban air quality and the surrounding environment.
“The health risk associated with unregulated and informal recycling of electronic waste and use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is creating a legacy of severe adverse and irreversible environmental health, economic and social impacts,” it added.
According to the WB, widespread use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in electrical equipment for insulation and in transformer oil is posing serious challenge in the Africa region.
It is also estimated that 800 tons of mercury emissions are released every year of which 37 percent are from Africa, and 16 percent from the ASGM sector.
The WB says a total of 3.5 million people across the world were at risk of health impacts in the ASGM sector out of which 2.5 million were in Africa.
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