title: Environmental contamination and human exposure to dioxin-related compounds in e-waste recycling sites of developing countries.
abstract: E-waste recycling using uncontrolled processes is a major source of dioxin-related compounds (DRCs), including not only the regulated polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) but also non-regulated brominated and mixed halogenated compounds (PBDD/Fs and PXDD/Fs). Various studies at informal e-waste recycling sites (EWRSs) in Asian developing countries found the soil contamination levels of PCDD/Fs from tens to ten thousand picogram TCDD-equivalents (TEQ) per gram and those of DL-PCBs up to hundreds of picogram TEQ per gram. The air concentration of PCDD/Fs was reported as high as 50 pg TEQ per m(3) in Guiyu, the largest Chinese EWRS. Non-regulated compounds also contributed substantially to the total DL toxicity of the DRC mixtures from e-waste, as evidenced by the high TEQ levels estimated for the currently identifiable PBDD/Fs as well as the large portion of unexplained bioassay-derived TEQ levels in soils/dusts from EWRSs. Considering the high exposure levels estimated for EWRS residents, especially children, comprehensive emission inventories of DRCs from informal e-waste recycling, the identities and toxic potencies of unidentified DRCs released, and their impacts on human health need to be investigated in future studies.
authors.affiliation: Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Matsuyama 790-8577, Ehime, Japan.
authors.forename: Nguyen Minh
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Tue
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Annamalai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanabe
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D003906:Developing Countries; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004147:Dioxins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D059029:Electronic Waste; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D059027:Recycling
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D000072338:Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; D004147:Dioxins; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls