Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site: Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies

Moeckel, Claudia; Breivik, Knut; Nøst, Therese Haugdahl; Sankoh, Alhaji Ibrahim; Jones, Kevin C.; Sweetman, Andrew J.

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2020.105563

Cited by 93 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Informal recycling methods involve mechanical disassembly followed by acid leaching or open burning to recover valuable metals such as Fe, Cu, Al, Ag, Au and Pd (Balde et al 2017). The informal recycling of E-waste has been shown to introduce various metals (Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hi, Ni, Sb, and Zn) into the surrounding soils (Ackah 2019;Adesokan et al 2016;Cao et al 2020;Han et al 2019;Li et al 2011;Moeckel et al 2020;Ouabo et al 2019;Singh et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gastric bioaccessibility and human health risks associated with soil metal exposure via ingestion at an E-waste recycling site in Kumasi, Ghana

Amponsah

Dodd

Darko

2020

Environ Geochem Health

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Over 1000 people make a living by processing electronic and electrical waste (E-waste) and scrap metals for the recovery of valuable metals and integrated circuits at Dagomba Line, Kumasi, Ghana. These processing include activities such as dismantling, open burning and open dumping of e-waste which can potentially release toxic metals into the environment and thus impact the health of recyclers and nearby residents. This study investigated the distribution of toxic metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn) in surface soils at the e-waste recycling sites and determined the associated human health risk via ingestion incorporating bioaccessibility measurements. Metal concentrations in the activity sites were highly elevated, significantly higher than those in the surrounding area and exceeded international soil quality guidelines such as the Canadian soil quality guidelines for residential use and the Dutch Intervention Value.Bioaccessibility was high for Pb (70.8%), Cd (64.1%), Cu (62.3%) and Ni (53.6%) which could be credited to the existence of oxidized species as a result of the e-waste burning. Noncarcinogenic effects were unacceptably high (hazard indices > 1) at 14 out of 31 sites and the cancer risk for arsenic for adult workers was greater than 1 × 10 −5 at five of the sampling sites.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gastric bioaccessibility and human health risks associated with soil metal exposure via ingestion at an E-waste recycling site in Kumasi, Ghana

Amponsah

Dodd

Darko

2020

Environ Geochem Health

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“…In addition to mechanical dismantling of e-waste, much of the e-waste is burned to obtain metals [17]. This results in contamination of air, soil, dust, water, and humans with a wide variety of toxic substances [153][154][155][156][157]. Chicken eggs from Agbogbloshie have recorded the highest level of brominated dioxins and the second-highest level of chlorinated dioxins ever reported [158].…”

Section: Which Countries Are Most Affected By E-waste?mentioning

confidence: 99%

E-Waste in Africa: A Serious Threat to the Health of Children

Lebbie

Moyebi

Asante³

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Waste electronic and electrical equipment (e-waste) consists of used and discarded electrical and electronic items ranging from refrigerators to cell phones and printed circuit boards. It is frequently moved from developed countries to developing countries where it is dismantled for valuable metals in informal settings, resulting in significant human exposure to toxic substances. E-waste is a major concern in Africa, with large sites in Ghana and Nigeria where imported e-waste is dismantled under unsafe conditions. However, as in many developing countries, used electronic and electrical devices are imported in large quantities because they are in great demand and are less expensive than new ones. Many of these used products are irreparable and are discarded with other solid waste to local landfills. These items are then often scavenged for the purpose of extracting valuable metals by heating and burning, incubating in acids and other methods. These activities pose significant health risks to workers and residents in communities near recycling sites. E-waste burning and dismantling activities are frequently undertaken at e-waste sites, often in or near homes. As a result, children and people living in the surrounding areas are exposed, even if they are not directly involved in the recycling. While toxic substances are dangerous to individuals at any age, children are more vulnerable as they are going through important developmental processes, and some adverse health impacts may have long-term impacts. We review the e-waste situation in Africa with a focus on threats to children’s health.

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“…According to Möckel et al (2020), it can be assumed that domestic e-waste and industrial wastes are disposed of at ordinary municipal waste sites in developing countries. Möckel et al (2020) investigated soil pollution at a major e-waste recycling site in West Africa.…”

Section: Consumer Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies on POPs such as brominated flame retardants (BFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in different matrices have been carried out in Africa (Asante et al 2011;Babayemi et al 2015;Odusanya et al 2009;Oloruntoba et al 2019;Sindiku et al 2015;Mansour 2009;Nkabinde et al 2018;Adu-Kumi-Jonathan et al 2019;Vaccher et al 2020;Katima et al 2017;Sibiya et al 2019). However, there is limited information on CP studies in different matrices, with the exception of the studies by Adu-Kumi-Jonathan et al ( 2019), Brits et al (2020) and Möckel et al (2020). The scarcity of information on SCCPs in the continent can be attributed to lack of analytical capacity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in matrices and research gap priorities in Africa: a review

Nevondo

Okonkwo

2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) have been applied as additives in a wide range of consumer products, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, mining conveyor belts, paints, sealants, adhesives and as flame retardants. Consequently, CPs have been found in many matrices. Of all the CP groups, short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) have raised an alarming concern globally due to their toxicity, persistence and long-range transportation in the environment. As a result, SCCPs were listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in May 2017. Additionally, a limit for the presence of SCCPs in other CP mixtures was set at 1% by weight. CPs can be released into the environment throughout their life cycle; therefore, it becomes crucial to assess their effects in different matrices. Although about 199 studies on SCCP concentration in different matrices have been published in other continents; however, there are scarce/or limited studies on SCCP concentration in Africa, particularly on consumer products, landfill leachates and sediment samples. So far, published studies on SCCP concentration in the continent include SCCPs in egg samples, e-waste recycling area and indoor dust in Ghana and South Africa, despite absence of any production of SCCPs in Africa. However, there still remains a huge research gap in the continent of Africa on SCCPs. Consequently, there is a need to develop robust SCCP inventories in Africa since the Stockholm Convention has already developed guidance document in this respect. This review, therefore, examines the state of knowledge pertaining to the levels and trends of these contaminants in Africa and further provides research gaps that need to be considered in order to better understand the global scale of the contaminant.

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Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site: Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies

Cited by 93 publications

References 43 publications

Gastric bioaccessibility and human health risks associated with soil metal exposure via ingestion at an E-waste recycling site in Kumasi, Ghana

Gastric bioaccessibility and human health risks associated with soil metal exposure via ingestion at an E-waste recycling site in Kumasi, Ghana

E-Waste in Africa: A Serious Threat to the Health of Children

Status of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in matrices and research gap priorities in Africa: a review

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