title: Source identification and health risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with electronic dismantling in Guiyu town, South China.
abstract: In this study the concentrations and distribution of sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in gas and total suspended particle (TSP) samples collected during daytime and night time. The sampling locations included an electronic waste dismantling workshop (EW), a plastic recycling workshop (PW) and a waste incineration field (WF) in Guiyu, China. A large residential area (RA) in this region was used as a control site. In the daytime, the highest concentration was found at WF (1041 ng m(-3)); while in the night time the highest concentration was found outside of EW (744 ng m(-3)). Comparison between work hours (daytime) and rest hours (night time) displayed that the total PAHs (gas+particulate phase) concentrations and the percentages of PAHs associated with TSP were higher at night than those in the daytime in all sampling workshops except WF. Source diagnostic-ratio analysis revealed that unwanted materials and smoldering honeycomb coals were the main sources of PAHs in EW, WF and PW. Benzo[a]pyrene equivalent [BaPeq] concentrations calculated by using the toxic equivalent factors [TEFs] suggested that the occupational exposure levels were not significantly high when compared with other occupational exposure. Additionally, our study suggested that the smoldering of unwanted materials could produce much more toxic PAHs compounds.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environment and Resources, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China. zhangdelin@gig.ac.cn
authors.forename: Delin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Taicheng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.forename: Bommanna G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Loganathan
authors.forename: Xiangying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Guoying
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Jiamo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004581:Electronics; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D007220:Industrial Waste; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014504:Urban Health
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds