In
this study, three chlorinated (Cl–mOPs) and five nonchlorinated
(NCl–mOPs) organophosphate
metabolites were determined in urine samples collected from participants
living in an electronic waste (e-waste) dismantling area (n = 175) and two reference areas (rural, n = 29 and urban, n = 17) in southern China. Bis(2-chloroethyl)
phosphate [BCEP, geometric mean (GM): 0.72 ng/mL] was the most abundant
Cl–mOP, and diphenyl phosphate (DPHP, 0.55 ng/mL) was the most
abundant NCl–mOP. The GM concentrations of mOPs in the e-waste
dismantling sites were higher than those in the rural control site.
These differences were significant for BCEP (p <
0.05) and DPHP (p < 0.01). Results suggested that
e-waste dismantling activities contributed to human exposure to OPs.
In the e-waste sites, the urinary concentrations of bis(2-chloro-isopropyl)
phosphate (r = 0.484, p < 0.01),
BCEP (r = 0.504, p < 0.01), dibutyl
phosphate (r = 0.214, p < 0.05),
and DPHP (r = 0.440, p < 0.01)
were significantly increased as the concentration of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine
(8-OHdG), a marker of DNA oxidative stress, increased. Our results
also suggested that human exposure to OPs might be correlated with
DNA oxidative stress for residents in e-waste dismantling areas. To
our knowledge, this study is the first to report the urinary levels
of mOPs in China and examine the association between OP exposure and
8-OHdG in humans.