TY - JOUR
T1 - Heavy metals concentrations of surface dust from e-waste recycling and its human health implications in southeast China
AU - LEUNG, Anna Oi Wah
AU - Duzgoren-Aydin, Nurdan S.
AU - Cheung, K. C.
AU - WONG, Ming Hung
N1 - Financial support was sponsored by The Research Grants Council of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong (Central Allocation Group Research Project HKBU1/03C), Match Fund from Hong Kong Baptist University, and a private donation.
PY - 2008/4/1
Y1 - 2008/4/1
N2 - The recycling of printed circuit boards in Guiyu, China, a village intensely involved in e-waste processing, may present a significant environmental and human health risk. To evaluate the extent of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) contamination from printed circuit board recycling, surface dust samples were collected from recycling workshops, adjacent roads, a schoolyard, and an outdoor food market. ICP-OES analyses revealed elevated mean concentrations in workshop dust (Pb 110 000, Cu 8360, Zn 4420, and Ni 1500 mg/kg) and in dust of adjacent roads (Pb 22 600, Cu 6170, Zn 2370, and Ni 304 mg/kg). Lead and Cu in road dust were 330 and 106, and 371 and 155 times higher, respectively, than non e-waste sites located 8 and 30 km away. Levels at the schoolyard and food market showed that public places were adversely impacted. Risk assessment predicted that Pb and Cu originating from circuit board recycling have the potential to pose serious health risks to workers and local residents of Guiyu, especially children, and warrants an urgent investigation into heavy metal related health impacts. The potential environmental and human health consequences due to uncontrolled e-waste recycling in Guiyu serves as a case study for other countries involved in similar crude recycling activities.
AB - The recycling of printed circuit boards in Guiyu, China, a village intensely involved in e-waste processing, may present a significant environmental and human health risk. To evaluate the extent of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) contamination from printed circuit board recycling, surface dust samples were collected from recycling workshops, adjacent roads, a schoolyard, and an outdoor food market. ICP-OES analyses revealed elevated mean concentrations in workshop dust (Pb 110 000, Cu 8360, Zn 4420, and Ni 1500 mg/kg) and in dust of adjacent roads (Pb 22 600, Cu 6170, Zn 2370, and Ni 304 mg/kg). Lead and Cu in road dust were 330 and 106, and 371 and 155 times higher, respectively, than non e-waste sites located 8 and 30 km away. Levels at the schoolyard and food market showed that public places were adversely impacted. Risk assessment predicted that Pb and Cu originating from circuit board recycling have the potential to pose serious health risks to workers and local residents of Guiyu, especially children, and warrants an urgent investigation into heavy metal related health impacts. The potential environmental and human health consequences due to uncontrolled e-waste recycling in Guiyu serves as a case study for other countries involved in similar crude recycling activities.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=41649095956&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/es071873x
DO - 10.1021/es071873x
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 18505015
AN - SCOPUS:41649095956
SN - 0013-936X
VL - 42
SP - 2674
EP - 2680
JO - Environmental Science and Technology
JF - Environmental Science and Technology
IS - 7
ER -
