Evolution of electronic waste toxicity: Trends in innovation and regulation

Abstract

Rapid innovation in printed circuit board, and the uncertainties surrounding quantification of the human and environmental health impacts of e-waste disposal have made it difficult to confirm the influence of evolving ewaste management strategies and regulatory policies on materials. To assess these influences, we analyzed hazardous chemicals in a market-representative set of Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs, 1996(WPCBs, -2010. We used standard leaching tests to characterize hazard potential and USEtox ® to project impacts on human health and ecosystem. The results demonstrate that command-and-control regulations have had minimal impacts on WPCBs composition and toxicity risks; whereas technological innovation may have been influenced more by resource conservation, including a declining trend in the use of precious metals such as gold. WPCBs remain classified as hazardous under U.S. and California laws because of excessive toxic metals. Lead poses the most significant risk for cancers; zinc for non-cancer diseases; copper had the largest potential impact on ecosystem quality. Among organics, acenaphthylene, the largest risk for cancers; naphthalene for non-cancer diseases; pyrene has the highest potential for ecotoxicological impacts. These findings support the need for stronger enforcement of international policies and technology innovation to implement the strategy of design-for-theenvironment and to encourage recovery, recycling, and reuse of WPCBs.

The Comparison of Selected Types of Municipal Sewage Sludge Filtrates Toxicity in Different Biological Models: From Bacterial Strains to Mammalian Cells. Preliminary Study

“…Such results are comparable to the data from the studies of Milik et al, where copper and zinc were registered as chemicals released in the highest quantities [28]. Copper and zinc compounds are considered as chemicals with the highest ecotoxicity potential for air and water; lead and nickel posed a considerable risk for human health [29][30][31]. Regarding PAHs content, a significant amount of the studied compounds was observed in SS1 filtrate, as compared to SS2 and SS3 filtrates.…”

Toxicity trends in E-Waste: A comparative analysis of metals in discarded mobile phones

“…We excluded these organics from the study because of the lack of current recovery or recycling strategies for them. Most of the organic substances such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs), dioxins and furans, others are mostly present in various components of plastics and PCBs (Chen et al, 2016;Hibbert and Ogunseitan, 2014). The composition of organic toxic substances in different parts of WMPs and their content dynamics in the basic phones and smartphones would provide new scope for future studies.…”

“…halogenated flame retardants), which could potentially threaten human life and environment quality if improperly managed (Lincoln et al, 2007;Kiddee et al, 2013;Nnorom and Osibanjo, 2009). In most of the developed and developing countries, waste PCBs from WMBs are considered hazardous because of their toxic constituents (Chen et al, 2016;Yadav et al, 2014;Stuhlpfarrer et al, 2016). The hazardous substances in e-waste have been regulated by the various government agencies because of their toxicity or persistence in organisms and food webs (Hira et al, 2018;Nnorom and Osibanjo, 2009;Hibbert and Ogunseitan, 2014;Tang et al, 2010;Henriquez-Hernandez et al, 2017).…”

“…The most important approaches to manage WMPs in a sustainable way have focused on dismantling, recycling, and material resources recovery (Chen et al, 2016;Singh et al, 2018), but industrial-scale implementation still is a challenge because of the lower economic incentive of processing mixed WMPs components. For example, China produces as many as 450 million mobile phones annually.…”

Resistance to Regulation: Failing Sustainability in Product Lifecycles

“…Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and chips both contain hazardous materials and the process of obtaining these at the extraction phase, as well as the process of handling them as waste, generate significant risks to people and the environment. In the manufacturing phase, the industrial processes involved in making PCBs and chips involve the use of hazardous chemicals, for example known carcinogens [41]. Information about toxicity in phones is not served by existing regulation.…”