title: Characterization of heavy metals and brominated flame retardants in the indoor and outdoor dust of e-waste workshops: implication for on-site human exposure.
abstract: Forty-four indoor and outdoor dust samples were collected from e-waste workshops and were analyzed to characterize the heavy metals and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) as well as on-site human exposure. The results showed that the most abundant Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) congener from three sites was deca-BDE, and it was penta-BDE for the other site. A significant and positive association was found between BDE-209 and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE). The high percentage of nona-BDE indicated the debromination of deca-BDE during e-waste recycling. The ratio comparison of BDE-47 to (BDE-100 + BDE-99) indicated that the outdoor dust went through more physiochemical processes. The enrichment factors for Cu and Pb were high in both the indoor and outdoor samples. Cd significantly exceeded the Chinese soil guideline grade III. The PCA results combined with the enrichment factor (EF) values suggested common sources and behaviours of Cu, Pb and Sb in the indoor dust. Co, Cr, Ni, Zn and Mn in the outdoor samples were more likely affected by crust. Strong correlations were found only for Pb and Sb with polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The hazard index for on-site human exposure to Pb was at a chronic risk. Despite the low deleterious risk of BFRs, concern should be given to DBDPE; the chronic toxicity of which is not known.
authors.affiliation: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Risk Assessment and Control on Chemical Process, School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, No. 130, Mei Long Road, Shanghai, 200237, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yangcheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Junxia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jinfu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bishu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Kuangfei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002681:China; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis*; D059029:Electronic Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000032:analysis*; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D059027:Recycling / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D005411:Flame Retardants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D019216:Metals, Heavy