Environmental contamination and human exposure to PBDEs and other hazardous chemicals arising from informal e-waste handling

A method was developed and validated for GC/MS analysis of PBDEs in a variety of matrices (soil, dust, sediment, and 10 types of foodstuffs), represented by a total of 313 samples. Extensive environmental contamination by PBDEs is shown to arise as a result of improper e-waste handling in Guiyu, China, with open burning and circuit boards shredding operations identified as the most significant sources of PBDEs to soil and sediment. Elevated concentrations of selected key pollutants, including legacy and novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals/metalloids, were detected in a number of dietary samples from Taizhou e-waste recycling sites, confirming the hypothesis that improper e-waste handling is an important source of toxic contaminants to locally produced foods. Human exposure, of both adults and children, to key pollutants via diet was estimated, with results suggesting that children are particularly exposed to a range of toxic substances through a locally-sourced diet. This was especially evident in the case of PCBs, PBDEs, cadmium, and lead. Concentrations of, and/or routes of human exposure to, several contaminants (e.g., PBDEs in duck eggs, and compound-specific NBFRs in diet originating from Taizhou) are reported here for the first time. Application of a simple pharmacokinetic model to predict human body burden of PBDEs (based on estimated dietary intake) provided predicted PBDE body burdens that compared satisfactorily in most instances with those reported elsewhere in blood of adults from Taizhou e-waste sites

Concentrations of phthalate esters and identification of other additives in PVC children’s toys

This study was intended to provide data on the composition of soft PVC toys, addressing the widest practicable range of chemical additives and including non-phthalate additives. The study also included toys from as many countries as possible, since for many, no data were available. A total of 72 toys were purchased in 17 countries. The majority (64) were PVC or had PVC sections. In almost all the soft PVC toys analysed, phthalates comprised a sizeable proportion (most frequently 10–40%) of the total weight of the toy. The predominant phthalates detected were diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Other phthalates identified in high concentrations in some toys include isomeric mixes of diisooctyl phthalate (DIOP) and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). The estrogenic chemical nonylphenol was isolated from 13 toys, while 2 toys were found to contain the fungicide Fungitrol 11 (Folpet). 78% of PVC toys contained one or more extractable organic compounds in addition to those reported above

Domestic Duck Eggs: An Important Pathway of Human Exposure to PBDEs around E‑Waste and Scrap Metal Processing Areas in Eastern China

Although consumption of local foods is recognized as an important pathway of human exposure to PBDEs in areas of China involved in rudimentary recycling of electronic waste (e-waste), dietary intake studies to date have not considered the contribution from consumption of duck eggs, despite being a common dietary component. Fresh duck eggs (<i>n</i> = 11) were collected from each of five farms located within 500 m of e-waste recycling workshops in the Wenling and Luqiao districts of Taizhou City, Eastern China, in November 2011, along with eggs from a control site located 90 km to the northeast. Average ΣPBDE yolk concentrations in eggs from the Taizhou farms ranged from 52.7 to 1778 ng/g lipid weight (8 ng/g lipid weight at the control site), at the high end of values previously reported for PBDEs in chicken eggs from the same locations and with BDE-209 predominant in over 60% of samples. Estimated typical adult daily ΣPBDE intakes due to consumption of duck eggs were in the range of 159–5124 ng/person per day. For the pentabrominated BDE-99 congener, estimated intakes from duck eggs alone were substantially above the no adverse effect level (NAEL) for impaired human spermatogenesis proposed by Netherlands researchers

Human Dietary Exposure to PBDEs Around E‑Waste Recycling Sites in Eastern China

Analysis of 10 types of locally produced staple foods (including meat, fish, and eggs), provided estimates of dietary intakes of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) for residents of areas of Taizhou City (Zhejiang Province, Eastern China), which are long-established centers of rudimentary “e-waste” recycling. Average ∑PBDE concentrations in chicken meat, eggs, and liver and duck meat and liver were among the highest recorded to date, with BDE-209 particularly abundant. The highest estimated contributions to ∑PBDE intake under a median exposure scenario were associated with adult consumption of duck eggs (3882 ng/day) and chicken eggs (1091 ng/day), and with consumption of fish by both adults (792 ng/day) and children (634 ng/day). Including estimates for ingestion of contaminated dust reported elsewhere increased median ∑PBDE daily intakes by approximately 19% for adults and 42% for children. Normalized to body weight, estimated median ∑PBDE exposures (from food and dust combined) were 130.9 ng/kg bw/day for adults and 614.1 ng/kg bw/day for children. High-end estimates of exposure for young children exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reference doses for BDE-47 and BDE-99 by factors of approximately 2.5 and 1.5, respectively