Phthalates in residential and agricultural soils from an electronic waste-polluted region in South China: distribution, compositional profile and sources.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
; 26(12): 12227-12236, 2019 Apr.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30835062
ABSTRACT
Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling has proven to be a significant source of phthalate (PAE) contamination in the environment. A detailed investigation was conducted to understand the concentration, distribution, profile and possible source of PAEs in residential and agricultural soils from Guiyu, Shantou, China, the largest e-waste processing and recycling areas in the world. Sixteen PAEs were analysed in 46 surface soil samples from three different sampling areas in terms of individual and total concentrations, together with pH and soil organic matter. High concentrations of the total PAEs were found in residential area A (more than 20,000 ng g-1), revealing a clear urban pulse, whereas in residential area B and agricultural areas, concentrations were lower than 10,000 ng g-1. The dominant PAEs were bis (2-nbutoxyethyl) phthalate, bis (4-methyl-2-pentyl) phthalate and dicyclohexyl phthalate. These PAEs were high-molecular weight PAEs (alkyl chains ≥ 6 carbons) and mainly derived from polyvinyl chloride commonly used in electrical and electronic equipment, indicating a distinctive composition in relation to the e-waste area. Three individual and the total PAEs exhibited significant positive correlations with pH. Principal component analysis indicated that PAEs were mainly distributed in three groups according to the alkyl chain length and potential source. This study showed that the informal e-waste recycling has already introduced PAEs into surrounding areas as a pollutant which should draw more attention and regulatory control.
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Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Ácidos Ftálicos
/
Contaminantes del Suelo
/
Monitoreo del Ambiente
/
Residuos Electrónicos
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
Asunto de la revista:
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
/
TOXICOLOGIA
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China