TY - JOUR
T1 - Monitoring of organic micropollutants in Ghana by combination of pellet watch with sediment analysis
T2 - E-waste as a source of PCBs
AU - Hosoda, Junki
AU - Ofosu-Anim, John
AU - Sabi, Edward Benjamin
AU - Akita, Lailah Gifty
AU - Onwona-Agyeman, Siaw
AU - Yamashita, Rei
AU - Takada, Hideshige
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Plastic resin pellets collected at 11 beaches covering the whole Ghanaian coastline were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCB concentrations (∑13 congeners) were higher in Accra, capital city, and Tema (39-69. ng/g-pellets) than those in rural coastal towns (1-15. ng/g-pellets) which are close to global background, indicating local inputs of PCBs. River sediments were also analyzed for PCBs together with molecular markers. Sedimentary PCBs concentrations were highest at a site (AR02) downstream of an electronic waste (e-waste) scrapyard. At the site (AR02), concentration of linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), a marker of municipal wastewater, was lower than another site (AR03) which is located at the downstream of downtown Accra. This result suggests that PCBs are introduced more to the river from the e-waste site than from activities in downtown Accra. PAHs concentrations were relatively higher in urban areas with strong petrogenic signature. Abundance of triphenylbenzenes suggested plastic combustion near e-waste scrapyard.
AB - Plastic resin pellets collected at 11 beaches covering the whole Ghanaian coastline were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCB concentrations (∑13 congeners) were higher in Accra, capital city, and Tema (39-69. ng/g-pellets) than those in rural coastal towns (1-15. ng/g-pellets) which are close to global background, indicating local inputs of PCBs. River sediments were also analyzed for PCBs together with molecular markers. Sedimentary PCBs concentrations were highest at a site (AR02) downstream of an electronic waste (e-waste) scrapyard. At the site (AR02), concentration of linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), a marker of municipal wastewater, was lower than another site (AR03) which is located at the downstream of downtown Accra. This result suggests that PCBs are introduced more to the river from the e-waste site than from activities in downtown Accra. PAHs concentrations were relatively higher in urban areas with strong petrogenic signature. Abundance of triphenylbenzenes suggested plastic combustion near e-waste scrapyard.
KW - Electronic waste
KW - Linear alkylbenzenes
KW - Molecular markers
KW - PCBs
KW - Pellet watch
KW - Triphenylbenzene
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84922611417&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.008
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 24997873
AN - SCOPUS:84922611417
SN - 0025-326X
VL - 86
SP - 575
EP - 581
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
IS - 1-2
ER -
