TY - JOUR
T1 - Airborne volatile organic compounds at an e-waste site in Ghana
T2 - Source apportionment, exposure and health risks
AU - Lin, Nan
AU - Kwarteng, Lawrencia
AU - Godwin, Christopher
AU - Warner, Sydni
AU - Robins, Thomas
AU - Arko-Mensah, John
AU - Fobil, Julius N.
AU - Batterman, Stuart
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/10/5
Y1 - 2021/10/5
N2 - 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 μg/m3 at the fixed sites, and 485 and 162 μg/m3 for the personal samples. Mean and median hazard ratios were 2.1 and 1.4, respectively, and cancer risks were 4.6 × 10-4 and 1.5 × 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.
AB - 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 μg/m3 at the fixed sites, and 485 and 162 μg/m3 for the personal samples. Mean and median hazard ratios were 2.1 and 1.4, respectively, and cancer risks were 4.6 × 10-4 and 1.5 × 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.
KW - E-waste
KW - Exposure
KW - Health risk
KW - Source apportionment
KW - Volatile organic compounds
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108650878&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126353
DO - 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126353
M3 - Article
C2 - 34175701
AN - SCOPUS:85108650878
SN - 0304-3894
VL - 419
JO - Journal of Hazardous Materials
JF - Journal of Hazardous Materials
M1 - 126353
ER -