title: Potential toxicity of improperly discarded exhausted photovoltaic cells.
abstract: Low tech photovoltaic panels (PVPs) installed in the early '80s are now coming to the end of their life cycle and this raises the problem of their proper disposal. As panels contain potentially toxic elements, unconventional, complex and costly procedures are required to avoid environmental health risks and in countries where environmental awareness and economic resources are limited this may be especially problematic. This work was designed to investigate potential risks from improper disposal of these panels. To accomplish this aim an exhausted panel was broken into pieces and these were placed in water for 30 days. The resulting leached solution was analyzed to determine chemical release or used in toto, to determine its potential toxicity in established tests. The end points were seed germination (on Cucumis sativus and Lens culinaris) and effects on early development in three larval models: two crustaceans, Daphnia magna and Artemia salina, and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Our results show that the panels release small amounts of electrolytes (Na, Ca and Mg) into solution, along with antimony and manganese, with a concentration under the accepted maximum contaminant level, and nickel at a potentially toxic concentration. Developmental defects are seen in the plant and animal test organisms after experimental exposure to the whole solution leached from the broken panel. The toxic effects revealed in in vitro tests are sufficient to attract attention considering that they are exerted on both plants and aquatic animals and that the number of old PVPs in disposal sites will be very high.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cerciello
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Bonis
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mazzella
authors.affiliation: Stazione Zoologica Anthon Dohrn, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cirino
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Panzuto
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciaravolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research, Darmstadt, 64291, Germany; Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simoniello
authors.affiliation: Dept of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toscanesi
authors.affiliation: Dept of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trifuoggi
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. Electronic address: bice.avallone@unina.it.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Avallone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001156:Artemia / Q000187:drug effects; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods; D018553:Cucumis sativus / Q000187:drug effects; D003621:Daphnia / Q000187:drug effects; D059029:Electronic Waste / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects; D027806:Lens Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D047328:Paracentrotus / Q000187:drug effects; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods; D012993:Solar Energy; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Germination index; Heavy metals cytotoxicity; Naupliar eyes development