Airborne volatile organic compounds at an e-waste site in Ghana: Source apportionment, exposure and health risks

Construction of Models To Predict the Effectiveness of E-Waste Control through Capture of Volatile Organic Compounds and Metals/Metalloids Exposure Fingerprints: A Six-Year Longitudinal Study

“…44 MA and 3-&4-MHA are urinary exposure biomarkers of styrene and m-&p-xylene, respectively. 33 Consistent with internal exposure biomonitoring results, studies for atmospheric VOCs suggest that the ratios of styrene to m-&p-xylene in the air in the ER (1.00) 24 are significantly higher compared with that in other reference areas (0.20 and 0.40). 45,46 Thus, the high prediction accuracy of Function 1 may be because MA/3-&4-MHA and 2-HPMA/3-&4-MHA are characteristic indicators of EWP.…”

“…3 Using MeTs and VOCs to indicate EWP has two advantages, as MeTs are essential components of e-waste, 2,4 and the exposure biomarkers for most MeTs and VOCs can be easily detected in urine. 21,22 Environmental evidence has documented the pollution level of VOCs and MeTs in different environmental media in the ER, 11,23,24 but minimal information is available regarding their human exposure burden except for some highly concerning MeTs, such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). 1,3,23 Exposure to VOCs in nonoccupationally exposed populations from the ER after e-waste control has not been profiled.…”

“…Urine is widely used as a noninvasive biomonitoring substrate to reflect human pollutant exposure levels. − Although halogenated flame retardants, polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins, and high molecular-PAH derivatives are characteristic indicators of e-waste pollution (EWP), , these pollutants cannot be routinely biomonitored because of their high retention in the blood or tissues rather than in urine . Using MeTs and VOCs to indicate EWP has two advantages, as MeTs are essential components of e-waste, , and the exposure biomarkers for most MeTs and VOCs can be easily detected in urine. , Environmental evidence has documented the pollution level of VOCs and MeTs in different environmental media in the ER, ,, but minimal information is available regarding their human exposure burden except for some highly concerning MeTs, such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). ,, Exposure to VOCs in nonoccupationally exposed populations from the ER after e-waste control has not been profiled . Herein, taking advantage of the opportunity to implement e-waste control in Guiyu ER since 2015, we attempted to reveal the temporal variations in levels of urinary VOC metabolites (mVOCs), MeTs, and oxidative DNA damage in children to demonstrate the effectiveness of e-waste control in reducing population pollutant exposure risks.…”

Health Risks Associated with Informal Electronic Waste Recycling in Africa: A Systematic Review

“…Informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling uses primitive techniques, without or with very little technology to retrieve valuable materials such as copper, silver, tin, and gold from old electrical and electronic products [ 1 ]. These informal recycling activities, such as open burning, which persist in developing countries, have led to the emission of pollutants of public health concern into the ambient environment [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. E-waste workers and people living near e-waste sites are exposed to elevated levels of these pollutants compared to the general population.…”

“…In addition, the Alaba International electronic market and Ikeja Computer Village in Nigeria are major destinations of shipped e-waste from Europe and the USA [ 16 , 17 ]. Previous studies have reported elevated levels of toxic metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and particulate matter (PM) among e-waste workers compared to the general population [ 2 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 18 ].…”