Concentrations, profiles, and estimated human exposures for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans from electronic waste recycling facilities and a chemical industrial complex in Eastern China

Journal Article · Sat Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 2008 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es8017573· OSTI ID:21126089

Ma, J; Kannan, K; Cheng, J; Horii, Y; Wu, Q; Wang, W ^[1]

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1. Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai (China). School of Environmental Science and Engineering

Electronic shredder waste and dust from e-waste facilities, and leaves and surface soil collected in the vicinity of a large scale e-waste recycling facility in Taizhou, Eastern China, were analyzed for total dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) including 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners. We also determined PCDD/Fs in surface agricultural soils from several provinces in China for comparison with soils from e-waste facilities. Concentrations of total PCDD/Fs were high in all of the matrices analyzed and ranged from 30.9 to 11,400 pg/g for shredder waste, 3460 to 9820 pg/g dry weight for leaves, 2560 to 148,000 pg/g dry weight for workshop-floor dust, and 854 to 10200 pg/g dry weight for soils. We also analyzed surface soils from a chemical industrial complex (a coke-oven plant, a coal-fired power plant, and a chlor-alkali plant) in Shanghai. Concentrations of total PCDD/Fs in surface soil from the chemical industrial complex were lower than the concentrations found in soils from e-waste recycling plants, but higher than the concentrations found in agricultural soils. Agricultural soils from six cities in China contained low levels of total PCDD/Fs. Profiles of dioxin toxic equivalents (TEQs) of 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs in soils from e-waste facilities in Taizhou differed from the profiles found in agricultural soils. The estimated daily intakes of TEQs of PCDD/Fs via soil/dust ingestion and dermal exposure were 2 orders of magnitude higher in people at e-waste recycling facilities than in people at the chemical industrial site, implying greater health risk for humans from dioxin exposures at e-waste recycling facilities. The calculated TEQ exposures for e-waste workers from dust and soil ingestion alone were 2-3 orders of magnitude greater than the exposures from soils in reference locations. 37 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 21126089
• Journal Information: Environmental Science and Technology, Journal Name: Environmental Science and Technology Journal Issue: 22 Vol. 42; ISSN ESTHAG; ISSN 0013-936X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BENZOFURANS
CHEMICAL PLANTS
CHINA
COAL
COKE OVENS
COKING PLANTS
CONCENTRATION RATIO
CONTAMINATION
DIOXIN
DUSTS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
HEALTH HAZARDS
LEAVES
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
POLYMERS
RECYCLING
SOILS
STATIONARY POLLUTANT SOURCES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS