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Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site: Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies

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Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site: Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies. / Moeckel, Claudia; Breivik, Knut; Nøst, Therese Haugdahl et al.
In: Environment International, Vol. 137, 105563, 01.04.2020.

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Moeckel C, Breivik K, Nøst TH, Sankoh A, Jones KC, Sweetman A. Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site: Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies. Environment International. 2020 Apr 1;137:105563. Epub 2020 Feb 25. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105563

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Moeckel, Claudia ; Breivik, Knut ; Nøst, Therese Haugdahl et al. / Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site : Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies. In: Environment International. 2020 ; Vol. 137.

Bibtex

@article{43471502a8cc4b7d954c64c0f1036cd9,
title = "Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site: Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies",
abstract = "Organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorinated paraffins (CPs)) and heavy metals and metalloids (Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Zn) were analysed in surface soil samples from the Agbogbloshie e-waste processing and dumping site in Accra (Ghana). In order to identify which of the pollutants are likely to be linked specifically to handling of e-waste, samples were also collected from the Kingtom general waste site in Freetown (Sierra Leone). The results were compared using principal component analyses (PCA). PBDE congeners found in technical octa-BDE mixtures, highly chlorinated PCBs and several heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd, Ag and Hg) showed elevated concentrations in the soils that are likely due to contamination by e-waste. PCAs associated those compounds with pyrogenic PAHs, suggesting that burning of e-waste, a common practice to isolate valuable metals, may cause this contamination. Moreover, other contamination pathways, especially incorporation of waste fragments into the soil, also appeared to play an important role in determining concentrations of some of the pollutants in the soil. Concentrations of several of these compounds were extremely high (especially PBDEs, heavy metals and SCCPs) and in some cases exceeded action guideline levels for soil. This indicates that exposure to these contaminants via the soil alone is potentially harmful to the recyclers and their families living on waste sites. Many organic contaminants and other exposure pathways such as inhalation are not yet included in such guidelines but may also be significant, given that deposition from the air following waste burning was identified as a major pollutant source.",
author = "Claudia Moeckel and Knut Breivik and N{\o}st, {Therese Haugdahl} and Alhaji Sankoh and Jones, {Kevin C.} and Andrew Sweetman",
year = "2020",
month = apr,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1016/j.envint.2020.105563",
language = "English",
volume = "137",
journal = "Environment International",
issn = "0160-4120",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Soil pollution at a major West African E-waste recycling site

T2 - Contamination pathways and implications for potential mitigation strategies

AU - Moeckel, Claudia

AU - Breivik, Knut

AU - Nøst, Therese Haugdahl

AU - Sankoh, Alhaji

AU - Jones, Kevin C.

AU - Sweetman, Andrew

PY - 2020/4/1

Y1 - 2020/4/1

N2 - Organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorinated paraffins (CPs)) and heavy metals and metalloids (Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Zn) were analysed in surface soil samples from the Agbogbloshie e-waste processing and dumping site in Accra (Ghana). In order to identify which of the pollutants are likely to be linked specifically to handling of e-waste, samples were also collected from the Kingtom general waste site in Freetown (Sierra Leone). The results were compared using principal component analyses (PCA). PBDE congeners found in technical octa-BDE mixtures, highly chlorinated PCBs and several heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd, Ag and Hg) showed elevated concentrations in the soils that are likely due to contamination by e-waste. PCAs associated those compounds with pyrogenic PAHs, suggesting that burning of e-waste, a common practice to isolate valuable metals, may cause this contamination. Moreover, other contamination pathways, especially incorporation of waste fragments into the soil, also appeared to play an important role in determining concentrations of some of the pollutants in the soil. Concentrations of several of these compounds were extremely high (especially PBDEs, heavy metals and SCCPs) and in some cases exceeded action guideline levels for soil. This indicates that exposure to these contaminants via the soil alone is potentially harmful to the recyclers and their families living on waste sites. Many organic contaminants and other exposure pathways such as inhalation are not yet included in such guidelines but may also be significant, given that deposition from the air following waste burning was identified as a major pollutant source.

AB - Organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and chlorinated paraffins (CPs)) and heavy metals and metalloids (Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Zn) were analysed in surface soil samples from the Agbogbloshie e-waste processing and dumping site in Accra (Ghana). In order to identify which of the pollutants are likely to be linked specifically to handling of e-waste, samples were also collected from the Kingtom general waste site in Freetown (Sierra Leone). The results were compared using principal component analyses (PCA). PBDE congeners found in technical octa-BDE mixtures, highly chlorinated PCBs and several heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd, Ag and Hg) showed elevated concentrations in the soils that are likely due to contamination by e-waste. PCAs associated those compounds with pyrogenic PAHs, suggesting that burning of e-waste, a common practice to isolate valuable metals, may cause this contamination. Moreover, other contamination pathways, especially incorporation of waste fragments into the soil, also appeared to play an important role in determining concentrations of some of the pollutants in the soil. Concentrations of several of these compounds were extremely high (especially PBDEs, heavy metals and SCCPs) and in some cases exceeded action guideline levels for soil. This indicates that exposure to these contaminants via the soil alone is potentially harmful to the recyclers and their families living on waste sites. Many organic contaminants and other exposure pathways such as inhalation are not yet included in such guidelines but may also be significant, given that deposition from the air following waste burning was identified as a major pollutant source.

U2 - 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105563

DO - 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105563

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32106045

AN - SCOPUS:85079905851

VL - 137

JO - Environment International

JF - Environment International

SN - 0160-4120

M1 - 105563

ER -