Cross-shift changes in pulmonary function and occupational exposure to particulate matter among e-waste workers in Ghana.

Introduction: Little is known on the association between cross-shift changes in pulmonary function and personal inhalation exposure to particulate matter (PM) among informal electronic-waste (e-waste) recovery workers who have substantial occupational exposure to airborne pollutants from burning e-waste. Methods: Using a cross-shift design, pre- and post-shift pulmonary function assessments and accompanying personal inhalation exposure to PM (sizes <1, <2.5 µm, and the coarse fraction, 2.5-10 µm in aerodynamic diameter) were measured among e-waste workers (n = 142) at the Agbogbloshie e-waste site and a comparison population (n = 65) in Accra, Ghana during 2017 and 2018. Linear mixed models estimated associations between percent changes in pulmonary function and personal PM. Results: Declines in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) per hour were not significantly associated with increases in PM (all sizes) among either study population, despite breathing zone concentrations of PM (all sizes) that exceeded health-based guidelines in both populations. E-waste workers who worked "yesterday" did, however, have larger cross-shift declines in FVC [-2.4% (95%CI: -4.04%, -0.81%)] in comparison to those who did not work "yesterday," suggesting a possible role of cumulative exposure. Discussion: Overall, short-term respiratory-related health effects related to PM exposure among e-waste workers were not seen in this sample. Selection bias due to the "healthy worker" effect, short shift duration, and inability to capture a true "pre-shift" pulmonary function test among workers who live at the worksite may explain results and suggest the need to adapt cross-shift studies for informal settings.

A strong spatial association between e-waste burn sites and childhood lymphoma in the West Bank, Palestine.

A paper in the International Journal of Cancer analyzed Palestinian cancer registry data in the West Bank from 1998 to 2007, showing a cluster of elevated cancer incidence in rural villages in south-west Hebron, with a 4.10 risk ratio for childhood lymphoma (p = 0.0023). The paper called for investigation of the environmental or genetic etiologies of this cluster in an otherwise unremarkable rural area.1 Our research in these same villages shows them to be the center of an extensive informal electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) dismantling industry in Palestine, operating for almost two decades. This entails extensive open-burning of e-waste components to extract valuable metals or dispose of nonvaluable waste, releasing high concentrations of hazardous contaminants, which may be an important factor in the elevated cancer incidence. We offer a first step in assessing this link. We applied a novel multitemporal object-based method to map the prevalence and intensity of e-waste burn sites in the entire Hebron Governorate (1,060 km2 ) between 1999 and 2007. A weighted standard deviation ellipse of cumulative burn activity covers a smaller area (247 km2 ) very closely matching the childhood lymphoma cluster: it contains 85% of the core cluster area (RR of 4.1), and falls almost entirely (95%) within the broader area of elevated risk (RR of 2.8). Extensive international evidence linking informal e-waste processing to elevated cancer incidence and this strong spatial association of e-waste burning activity with a distinct unexplained cancer cluster in the Palestinian context signals the urgent need for investigation and intervention.

Decreased lung function with mediation of blood parameters linked to e-waste lead and cadmium exposure in preschool children.

Blood lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) levels have been associated with lower lung function in adults and smokers, but whether this also holds for children from electronic waste (e-waste) recycling areas is still unknown. To investigate the contribution of blood heavy metals and lung function levels, and the relationship among living area, the blood parameter levels, and the lung function levels, a total of 206 preschool children from Guiyu (exposed area), and Haojiang and Xiashan (reference areas) were recruited and required to undergo blood tests and lung function tests during the study period. Preschool children living in e-waste exposed areas were found to have a 1.37 µg/dL increase in blood Pb, 1.18 µg/L increase in blood Cd, and a 41.00 × 109/L increase in platelet counts, while having a 2.82 g/L decrease in hemoglobin, 92 mL decrease in FVC and 86 mL decrease in FEV1. Each unit of hemoglobin (1 g/L) decline was associated with 5 mL decrease in FVC and 4 mL decrease in FEV1. We conclude that children living in e-waste exposed area have higher levels of blood Pb, Cd and platelets, and lower levels of hemoglobin and lung function. Hemoglobin can be a good predictor for lung function levels.

Hydrodechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls in contaminated soil from an e-waste recycling area, using nanoscale zerovalent iron and Pd/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles.

Soil pollution by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) arising from the crude disposal and recycling of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) is a serious issue, and effective remediation technologies are urgently needed. Nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) and bimetallic systems have been shown to promote successfully the destruction of halogenated organic compounds. In the present study, nZVI and Pd/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles synthesized by chemical deposition were used to remove 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl from deionized water, and then applied to PCBs contaminated soil collected from an e-waste recycling area. The results indicated that the hydrodechlorination of 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl by nZVI and Pd/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and Pd loading was beneficial to the hydrodechlorination process. It was also found that the removal efficiencies of PCBs from soil achieved using Pd/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles were higher than that achieved using nZVI and that PCBs degradation might be affected by the soil properties. Finally, the potential challenges of nZVI application to in situ remediation were explored.

Spatial characteristics of cadmium in topsoils in a typical e-waste recycling area in southeast China and its potential threat to shallow groundwater.

Informal electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) recycling often creates secondary sources of cadmium (Cd) pollution. To characterize the total Cd concentration (Cdtotal) in topsoil and evaluate the threat of Cd in topsoils to shallow groundwater, 187 topsoil samples and 12 shallow groundwater samples were collected in a typical e-waste recycling area in southeast China. Soil organic matter content, soil pH and Cdtotal in topsoil, pH and dissolved Cd concentration in shallow groundwater were measured. Cdtotal in the topsoils showed an inverse distribution trend with soil pH in that high Cd concentrations (and low pH values) were found in the surrounding area of the metal recycling industrial park where there were many family-operated e-waste recycling facilities before the industrial park was established and with low concentrations (and high pH values) in other areas, and they had similar spatial correlation structures. Cd accumulation and acidification were synchronous in topsoils, and soil pH was significantly correlated with Cdtotal in topsoils with low to moderate negative correlation coefficient (r=-0.24), indicating that both of them maybe correlated with informal recycling. The shallow groundwater in the surrounding area of the metal recycling industrial park was seriously contaminated by Cd, and topsoil Cd accumulation and acidification in the surrounding area of e-waste recycling sites significantly increase the risk of shallow groundwater contaminated by Cd. Action is urgently required to control Cd accumulation and acidification by improving the recycling operations of e-wastes in order to reduce the risk of Cd leaching from topsoils and shallow groundwater contamination.

Disruption of sex hormones and oxidative homeostasis in parturient women and their matching fetuses at an e-waste recycling site in China.

BACKGROUND: Electronic waste (e-waste) disposal poses a major health concern in developing countries. OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether prenatal exposure to e-waste pollutants affects sex hormones and oxidative status. METHODS: Parturient women living in an e-waste recycling site (exposed subjects, n = 46) and a reference site (referents, n = 44) were recruited. RESULTS: Compared with referents, the levels of sex hormones estradiol and progesterone were significantly elevated in exposed subjects (P<0.05); a significant increase in the mRNA levels of estrogen receptor alpha and beta, and a significant decrease in the mRNA levels of progesterone receptor were detected in exposed subjects (P<0.05); a significant increase in malondialdehyde, and suppression of the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase (P<0.05) were observed in exposed subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that sex hormones and oxidative homeostasis were disrupted in pregnant women and their fetuses at the e-waste recycling site.

PCDD/Fs, PBDD/Fs, and PBDEs in the air of an e-waste recycling area (Taizhou) in China: current levels, composition profiles, and potential cancer risks.

Atmospheric concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in Taizhou, a large electronic equipment waste (e-waste) recycling area in East China. The mean concentrations (in summer and winter) of PCDD/Fs (0.45 and 0.39 pg WHO-TEQ m⁻³, where WHO-TEQ is the toxic equivalent set by the World Health Organisation), PBDD/Fs (0.22 and 0.18 pg WHO-TEQ m⁻³), and PBDEs (270 and 225 pg m⁻³) in this region have declined compared with those in 2005, due to regulations on primitive e-waste recycling activities. However, these concentrations remain higher than the historically highest levels in Europe and North America. The congener profiles of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs were similar, with OCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF, OCDF, and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD being the most abundant congeners at all sites. The PCDD/F homologue profiles in the present study were different from those typically observed at non-e-waste locations, indicating a distinct source in this region. Seasonal differences were found in the lower brominated PBDE profiles. These differences indicate that the PBDE emission sources in summer (e.g., strong evaporation sources) differed from those in winter. However, the relatively steady congener profiles of the highly brominated PBDEs suggest that these PBDEs were controlled primarily by similar emission mechanisms. The lifetime excess cancer risks from exposure to PCDD/Fs and PBDD/Fs via inhalation ranged from 0.7 × 10⁻5 to 5.4 × 10⁻5, or approximately 80 cancer cases in the Taizhou population.

Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorinated pesticides in birds from a contaminated region in South China: association with trophic level, tissue distribution and risk assessment.

PURPOSE: Birds have been used successfully for biomonitoring of the levels and effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environments; however, there is exceedingly little data on organochlorinated pesticide (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) residues in bird inhabiting in China. In the present study, we detected the concentrations of PCBs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in muscle, liver and kidney of birds that inhabit in an e-waste recycling site. Associated with the stable isotope ratio (δ (15)N), we investigated the effect of trophic level on the body burdens of persistent contaminants in birds. The tissue distributions of contaminants in these birds were examined, and a preliminary risk assessment was also conducted. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Specimens from eight bird species were collected from Qingyuan County, Guangdong Province, South China. Pectoral muscle, liver and kidney tissues were Soxhlet-extracted and finally dissolved in isooctane. Both PCBs and OCPs were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The subsamples for nitrogen stable isotope analysis were lyophilized, ground and analyzed by a flash EA 112 series elemental analyzer interfaced with an isotope ration mass spectrometer. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: PCBs exhibited the highest concentrations among all target compounds, and a preliminary risk assessment suggested that adverse effects might occur in some birds for its high level. Generally, the concentrations of pollutants in liver and kidney were higher than those in muscle, which was mainly driven by passive diffusion to the 'lipid-compartment'. Significant differences in level of contaminants were obtained among species due to the varieties in dietary composition and habitat. An increasing trend was obtained between concentrations of PCBs and DDTs with trophic levels; however, HCHs exhibited the same level among species. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Because of the e-waste recycling activities, the study area has been heavily polluted by PCBs. Studies on the species-specific hazard assessment associated with exposure to PCBs are urgently needed in the study of birds in the area.

Assessment of cadmium exposure for neonates in Guiyu, an electronic waste pollution site of China.

This study aimed to determine the levels of placental cadmium (PCd) and cord blood cadmium (CBCd) and the resulting expression of placental metallothionein (MT) in neonates and to investigate cadmium (Cd) exposure levels in neonates and mothers who live in Guiyu, China, an electronic waste (e-waste) pollution site. Among the 423 mothers included in the study from 2004/2005 to 2007, 289 lived in Guiyu (exposed group) and 134 lived in Chaonan, located 10 km away from Guiyu (controls) and had never been exposed to e-waste pollution. CBCd and PCd levels were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. Placental MT was examined by immunohistochemistry. Information on maternal and neonatal characteristics and exposure conditions was obtained from hospital records and by personal interviews. For the 3 years, the median CBCd was higher for Guiyu neonates than for controls (3.61 vs. 1.25 µg/L), with 25.61% of Guiyu subjects exhibiting a median CBCd that exceeded the safety limit defined by the World Health Organization (5 µg/L), as compared with 14.18% of control neonates (p < 0.01). In Guiyu, the mean PCd was higher than that for controls (0.17 ± 0.48 vs. 0.10 ± 0.11 µg/g, p ≤ 0.01). The high levels of CBCd and PCd were significantly associated with parents' occupational and environmental exposure to e-waste recycling pollutants. Staining for MT was positive and dense for 67.00% (67/100) of Guiyu neonates as compared with 32.69% (17/52) of controls (p < 0.01). Exposure to e-waste recycling pollutants increased Cd exposure in neonates, which was accompanied by increased placental MT expression.