| Title: | Four-year population exposure study: Implications for the effectiveness of e-waste control and biomarkers of e-waste pollution |
| Author(s): | Kuang H; Li Y; Li L; Ma S; An T; Fan R; |
| Address: | "Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Health Risk Assessment, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Guangzhou 510655, China. Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China. Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China. Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: antc99@gdut.edu.cn. Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China. Electronic address: 20001047@m.scnu.edu.cn" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156595 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1026 (Electronic) 0048-9697 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "E-waste pollution has emerged as a significant environmental concern. To assess the impact of e-waste control on human pollutant exposure risk and identify appropriate biomarkers to classify e-waste pollution levels, we performed longitudinal population exposure monitoring research in an e-waste recycling area in China after e-waste control. The urinary levels of oxidative stress markers and typical pollutants emitted during e-waste recycling, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were continuously monitored in the surrounding population (including 275 children and 485 adults) from 2016 to 2019 using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The results showed that exposure to PAHs, VOCs and heavy metals was significantly associated with oxidative stress levels in urine. After e-waste control, the exposure levels of most PAHs and VOCs and a few heavy metals in the population significantly decreased. Interestingly, the level of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (a biomarker of oxidative DNA damage) in children significantly decreased by 17.6 %, from 9.45 mug/g CRE in 2017 to 7.79 mug/g CRE in 2019 (p < 0.01). Thus, implementing e-waste control measures effectively reduced the human exposure risk to e-waste pollutants. Urinary tin (Sn), s-phenylmercapturic acid (PMA), 2-&3-hydroxyfluorene (2-&3-OHF), 3-hydroxyphenanthrene (3-OHPhe), and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) levels decreased significantly and monotonically over time (p < 0.01). The levels of urinary Sn and PMA in combination with 1-OHP, 2-&3-OHF, or 3-OHPhe as biomarkers demonstrated an excellent ability to classify e-waste pollution. These biomarkers will facilitate evaluations of the effectiveness of the governmental pollution regulations and policy measures. Additionally, children were generally exposed to higher levels of heavy metals and VOCs and suffered higher levels of oxidative stress damage than adults, suggesting that children are more vulnerable to e-waste pollution. This work will provide a reference for e-waste management and control" |
| Keywords: | 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine Adult Biomarkers/urine Child *Electronic Waste/analysis *Environmental Pollutants/analysis Humans *Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/analysis *Volatile Organic Compounds Heavy metals Oxidative stress Polycyclic aromatic hydrocar; |
| Notes: | "MedlineKuang, Hongxuan Li, Yonghong Li, Leizi Ma, Shengtao An, Taicheng Fan, Ruifang eng Netherlands 2022/06/11 Sci Total Environ. 2022 Oct 10; 842:156595. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156595. Epub 2022 Jun 8" |
