Organophosphate flame retardants and plastics in soil from an abandoned e-waste recycling site: significant ecological risks derived from plastic debris

The Environmental Impact of E-Waste Microplastics: A Systematic Review and Analysis Based on the Driver–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) Framework

“…The black and wrinkled bio-beads produced from recycled WEEE used in wastewater treatment plants are also enriched in metals (e.g., Br, Cd, Cr, Pb) and have been found in English beaches [4,41]. Compared to soils, e-waste microplastics presented higher concentrations of seven metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, As, Ba, Co, Ni) in Guiyu, China [43], and higher concentrations of halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) [46] and similar concentrations of organophosphate flame retardant in Longtang County, China [48]. Microplastics collected from marine beaches on the southern coast of Sri Lanka also presented high concentrations of brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), suggesting that they might have originated from mismanaged e-waste [49].…”

“…Effects are also expected at the ecosystem level since estimated concentrations of e-waste microplastics near disassembling or recycling facilities (Table 1) exceed low effect concentration (LOEC) for microplastics in soils, estimated at 539-7175 particles kg −1 [35]. Moreover, risk quotients (RQ) showed high ecological risk (RQ > 1) for the organophosphate flame retardants triphenyl phosphate (RQ = 1490) and decabromodiphenyl ether 209 (RQ = 2.95) in soil [48]. Thus, even if associated contaminants and microplastics are released independently, they may present a synergistic toxic effect.…”