| Yhteenveto: | Aluminum utensils are a daily necessity for cooking and related activities in the world.
Consequently, the production of such items, particularly in the developing nations of South Asia
and Africa, is extremely labor-intensive and poses immense threats to the workers’ health due to
an unsafe working environment. However, no research has been carried out in South Asia to
quantify the impact of such working conditions on the air quality index (AQI) and particulate
matter (PM) in the aluminum cookware industry. Hence, in this study, AQI, PM2.5, and relative
humidity were measured at a factory in Chattogram to analyze the threats imposed on the
workers of the aluminum cookware manufacturing industries in the sub-continent. Moreover,
structured questions and in-depth interviews were administered to the workers and owners in
order to assess the gravity of the situation and policy drawbacks. The workers and owners were
aware of the negative impacts, but the main problems were caused by the corrupt department for
industrial investigations. However, most of the workers were found to have experienced severe
accidents when the AQI was quite high. These issues were not addressed due to a lack of training
for the owner’s unawareness. Results demonstrated that the AQI and PM levels exceed the WHO
standard and the workers are prone to different health issues. Hence, public intervention and
policy implications are required to improve the working environment for aluminum cookware
manufacturers, particularly through the provision of protective clothing.
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