| Title: | "Airborne volatile organic compounds at an e-waste site in Ghana: Source apportionment, exposure and health risks" |
| Author(s): | Lin N; Kwarteng L; Godwin C; Warner S; Robins T; Arko-Mensah J; Fobil JN; Batterman S; |
| Address: | "Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109; Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, PR China 200025. Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Ghana, School of Public Health, P.O. Box LG13, Accra, Ghana. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109. Electronic address: stuartb@umich.edu" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126353 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1873-3336 (Electronic) 0304-3894 (Print) 0304-3894 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Informal e-waste recycling processes emit various air pollutants. While there are a number of pollutants of concern, little information exists on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) releases at e-waste sites. To assess occupational exposures and estimate health risks, we measured VOC levels at the Agbogbloshie e-waste site in Ghana, the largest e-waste site in Africa, by collecting both fixed-site and personal samples for analyzing a wide range of VOCs. A total of 54 VOCs were detected, dominated by aliphatic and aromatic compounds. Mean and median concentrations of the total target VOCs were 46 and 37 mug/m(3) at the fixed sites, and 485 and 162 mug/m(3) for the personal samples. Mean and median hazard ratios were 2.1 and 1.4, respectively, and cancer risks were 4.6 x 10(-4) and 1.5 x 10(-4). These risks were predominantly driven by naphthalene and benzene; chloroform and formaldehyde were also high in some samples. Based on the VOC composition, the major sources were industry, fuel evaporation and combustion. The concentration gradient across sites and the similarity of VOC profiles indicated that the e-waste site emissions reached neighboring communities. Our results suggest the need to protect e-waste workers from VOC exposure, and to limit emissions that can expose nearby populations" |
| Keywords: | *Air Pollutants/analysis *Electronic Waste Environmental Monitoring Ghana Humans *Occupational Exposure/analysis *Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis E-waste Exposure Health risk Source apportionment Volatile organic compounds; |
| Notes: | "MedlineLin, Nan Kwarteng, Lawrencia Godwin, Christopher Warner, Sydni Robins, Thomas Arko-Mensah, John Fobil, Julius N Batterman, Stuart eng P30 ES017885/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/ U01 TW010103/TW/FIC NIH HHS/ U2R TW010110/TW/FIC NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Netherlands 2021/06/28 J Hazard Mater. 2021 Oct 5; 419:126353. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126353. Epub 2021 Jun 10" |
