Characterization
of Size-Fractionated Airborne Particles
Inside an Electronic Waste Recycling Facility and Acute Toxicity Testing
in Mice
- Publication date
- Publisher
Abstract
Disposal of electronic waste (e-waste)
in landfills, incinerators,
or at rudimentary recycling sites can lead to the release of toxic
chemicals into the environment and increased health risks. Developing
e-waste recycling technologies at commercial facilities can reduce
the release of toxic chemicals and efficiently recover valuable materials.
While these e-waste operations represent a vast improvement over previous
approaches, little is known about environmental releases, workplace
exposures, and potential health impacts. In this study, airborne particulate
matter (PM) was measured at various locations within a modern U.S.-based
e-waste recycling facility that utilized mechanical processing. In
addition, composite size fractionated PM (coarse, fine and ultrafine)
samples were collected, extracted, chemically analyzed, and given
by oropharyngeal aspiration to mice or cultured with lung slices for
lung toxicity tests. Indoor total PM concentrations measured during
the study ranged from 220 to 1200 μg/m<sup>3</sup>. In general,
the coarse PM (2.5–10 μm) was 3–4 times more abundant
than fine/ultrafine PM (<2.5 μm). The coarse PM contained
higher levels of Ni, Pb, and Zn (up to 6.8 times) compared to the
fine (0.1–2.5 μm) and ultrafine (<0.1 μm) PM.
Compared to coarse PM measurements from a regional near-roadway study,
Pb and Ni were enriched 170 and 20 times, respectively, in the indoor
PM, with other significant enrichments (>10 times) observed for
Zn
and Sb, modest enrichments (>5 times) for Cu and Sr, and minor
enrichments
(>2 times) for Cr, Cd, Mn, Ca, Fe, and Ba. Negligible enrichment
(<2
times) or depletion (<1 time) were observed for Al, Mg, Ti, Si,
and V. The coarse PM fraction elicited significant pro-inflammatory
responses in the mouse lung at 24 h postexposure compared to the fine
and ultrafine PM, and similar toxicity outcomes were observed in the
lung slice model. We conclude that exposure to coarse PM from the
facility caused substantial inflammation in the mouse lung and enrichment
of these metals compared to levels normally present in the ambient
PM could be of potential health concern