Severe PCDD/F and PBDD/F Pollution in Air around an Electronic Waste Dismantling Area in China

Abstract

The presence of chlorinated and brominated compounds in electronic waste (EW) results in the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs) during the EW dismantling process. In this study, we investigated the dioxins present in ambient air around the EW dismantling area Guiyu in Guangdong, China. Atmospheric PCDD/F (tetra to octa) abundances and toxic equivalent (TEQ) values were 64.9-2365 pg/m3 and 0.909-48.9 pg of W-TEQ/m3, respectively; these are the highest documented values of these compounds found in ambient air in the world. PBDD/Fs (eight 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners) were also found at high pollution levels (concentrations of 8.124-61 pg/m3 and 1.6-2104 pg of I-TEQ/m3). Profiles of the 2,3,7,8-PCDD/F homologues in the air of Guiyu differed from typical urban air patterns reported in the literature, and the concentration of homologues increased with the chlorination degree of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs except for OCDF. The severe dioxin pollution present in Guiyu substantially influences the adjacent area of Chendian, where atmospheric PCDD/F and 2,3,7,8-PBDD/F levels are higher than those of common urban areas in the world. Our tentative inhalation risk assessment showed that residents in Guiyu are at a high risk of exposure to dioxins. The total PCDD/F intake doses far exceed the WHO 1998 tolerable daily intake limit of 1-4 pg of W-TEQ kg(-1) day(-1).

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in surface soils from e‐waste recycling areas and industrial areas in South China: Concentration levels, congener profile, and inventory

“…Detailed information regarding the study areas is available in several other studies [13,17,[19][20][21][22]. Briefly, GY and QY are the two of the biggest e-waste recycling centers in China and have an e-waste recycling history of more than 10 years.…”

Organohalogen pollutants in surface particulates from workshop floors of four major e-waste recycling sites in China and implications for emission lists

“…Because of the primitiveness of e-waste recycling activities, including peeling and melting plastic, combusting or roasting circuit boards, and extracting metals with strong acids (Li et al, 2007;Wong et al, 2007), the environmental effects of e-waste disposal are attracting increasing attention. Concerns focus not only on the volume of e-waste generated but also on the list of e-waste-associated contaminants.…”

Level and congener profiles of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the atmosphere of Beijing, China

“…PBDD/Fs, which are PCDD/F analogs with all chlorine atoms substituted by bromine (WHO, 1994), have received less concern than PCDD/Fs, and data about their environmental level are very scarce. Up to now, PBDD/Fs have been identified and determined in several matrices including: ambient air in Kyoto (Hayakawa et al, 2004), Osaka (Ohta et al, 2002;Watanabe et al, 1995), Shanghai (Li et al, 2008) and at different locations in Taiwan (Wang et al, 2008), at electronic waste dismantling areas in China (Li et al, 2007), in plastics from waste TV sets (Tasaki et al, 2004), as a constituent of flue gases (Wang and Chang-Chien, 2007;Schüler and Jager, 2004), fly ash (Weber and Kuch, 2003;Hagberg et al, 2005;Sovocool et al, 1989;Schwind et al, 1988), sediments (Watanabe et al, 1995;Choi et al, 2003a,b;Hagberg et al, 2005), diet samples (Nomura et al, 2007), shellfish (Fernandes et al, 2008), fish (Ashizuka et al, 2008), adipose tissue (Choi et al, 2003a,b), human milk (Ohta et al, 2002), and blood from people with occupational exposure (Zober et al, 1992). Concerns about PBDD/Fs have increased because brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are extensively used in a variety of materials and are miscible with most plastics.…”