Body Loadings and Health Risk Assessment of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans at an Intensive Electronic Waste Recycling Site in China

Abstract

This study is one of the very few investigating the dioxin body burden of a group of child-bearing-aged women at an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling site (Taizhou, Zhejiang Province) (24 ( 2.83 years of age, 40% were primiparae) and a reference site (Lin'an city, Zhejiang Province, about 245 km away from Taizhou) (24 ( 2.35 years of age, 100% were primiparae) in China. Five sets of samples (each set consisted of human milk, placenta, and hair) were collected from each site. Body burdens of people from the e-waste processing site (human milk, 21.02 ( 13.81 pg WHO-TEQ 1998 /g fat (World Health Organization toxic equivalency 1998); placenta, 31.15 ( 15.67 pg WHO-TEQ 1998 /g fat; hair, 33.82 ( 17.74 pg WHO-TEQ 1998 /g dry wt) showed significantly higher levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/ Fs) than those from the reference site (human milk, 9.35 ( 7.39 pg WHO-TEQ 1998 /g fat; placenta, 11.91 ( 7.05 pg WHO-TEQ 1998 /g fat; hair, 5.59 ( 4.36 pg WHO-TEQ 1998 /g dry wt) and were comparatively higher than other studies. The difference between the two sites was due to e-waste recycling operations, for example, open burning, which led to high background levels. Moreover, mothers from the e-waste recycling site consumed more foods of animal origin. The estimated daily intake of PCDD/Fs within 6 months by breastfed infants from the e-waste processing site was 2 times higher than that from the reference site. Both values exceeded the WHO tolerable daily intake for adults by at least 25 and 11 times, respectively. Our results implicated that e-waste recycling operations cause prominent PCDD/F levels in the environment and in humans. The elevated body burden may have health implications for the next generation.

Elevated Levels of Urinary 8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine in Male Electrical and Electronic Equipment Dismantling Workers Exposed to High Concentrations of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins and Dibenzofurans, Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls

“…The highest values of these compounds in hair were found by the present study. Because hair can reflect the body's integral exposure to POPs from endogenous and exogenous sources (2,39), the results showed that the E-waste dismantling workers in the LQ area heavily accumulated PCDD/ Fs, PBDEs, and PCBs in their bodies.…”

Dechlorane Plus and its dechlorinated analogs from an e-waste recycling center in maternal serum and breast milk of women in Wenling, China

“…E-waste recycling operations have been ongoing for approximately 30 years in this area. According to the Economic and Trade Commission of Taizhou in 2005, more than 2 million metric tons of e-waste were processed in Taizhou annually, and 40,000 people were employed in the e-waste recycling industry (Chan et al, 2007). Wenling city is one of the major cities involved in e-waste recycling close to the city centre in Taizhou area with a total area of 836 km 2 and a population of 1.4 million.…”

Dietary exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans via fish consumption and dioxin-like activity in fish determined by H4IIE-luc bioassay

“…S1a and b). The profiles for GY and TZ samples closely resembled those for the GY riverbank soil and TZ human hair (Chan et al, 2007), indicating that there were emission sources at the sampling sites . The riverbank soil collected in Leung et al's (2007) study and the fish collected in the present study were from the same rivers in GY.…”

“…Both GY and TZ are the 2 major e-waste processing sites in China, where the former is located in Guangdong Province, southern China while the latter is in Zhejiang Province, eastern China (Fig. 1, Chan et al, 2007). The reference site chosen was LN, which is situated inland in Zhejiang Province, northern Hangzhou, about 245 km away from TZ and has no history of e-waste recycling activities.…”

“…Open burning of electronic waste (e-waste), such as cable wires and circuit boards, for the recovery of metals is a common practice of e-waste processing operations, and is one of the largest non-regulated sources of PCDD/Fs in China (Zheng et al, 2008). Extremely high concentrations of PCDD/Fs have been detected in the environment of Chinese e-waste recycling sites Wong et al, 2007), where the intake of fish and shellfish was found to correlate with the body burdens of people living at such locations (Chan et al, 2007).…”