Bioaccessibility and exposure assessment of flame retardants via dust ingestion for workers in e-waste processing workshops in northern Vietnam

Tatiya Wannomai; Hidenori Matsukami; Natsuyo Uchida; Fumitake Takahashi; Le Huu Tuyen; Pham Hung Viet; Shin Takahashi; Tatsuya Kunisue; Go Suzuki

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126632

Bioaccessibility and exposure assessment of flame retardants via dust ingestion for workers in e-waste processing workshops in northern Vietnam

Chemosphere. 2020 Jul:251:126632. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126632. Epub 2020 Mar 29.

Authors

Tatiya Wannomai¹, Hidenori Matsukami², Natsuyo Uchida², Fumitake Takahashi³, Le Huu Tuyen⁴, Pham Hung Viet⁵, Shin Takahashi⁶, Tatsuya Kunisue⁷, Go Suzuki²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, School of Environment and Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259, Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan. Electronic address: tatiya_wan@hotmail.com.
² Center for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305-8506, Japan.
³ Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, School of Environment and Society, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259, Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-8503, Japan.
⁴ Centre for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development (CETASD), VNU Hanoi University of Science, 334 Nguyen Trai, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, 790-8577, Japan.
⁵ Centre for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development (CETASD), VNU Hanoi University of Science, 334 Nguyen Trai, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
⁶ Center of Advanced Technology for the Environment (CATE), Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3-5-7, Tarumi, Matsuyama, 790-8566, Japan.
⁷ Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, 790-8577, Japan.

PMID: 32443225
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126632

Abstract

Flame retardants (FRs) from electronic waste (e-waste) are a widespread environmental concern. In our study, in vitro physiologically based extraction tests (PBETs) for FRs were conducted in three different areas where dust remained after processing of e-waste to identify the bioaccessible FRs and quantify their bioaccessibilities of gastrointestinal tract for human as well as to assess the exposure via ingestion of workers in e-waste processing workshops. All 36 FRs were measured and detected in indoor dusts. Among the FRs, the mean concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the floor dust and settled dust were highest, 65,000 ng/g, and 31,000 ng/g, respectively. In contrast, phosphorus-containing flame retardants (PFRs) presented the highest mean concentration in the workplace dust samples, 64,000 ng/g. However, the highest bioaccessible concentrations in workplace dust, floor dust, and settled dust were observed for PFRs: 5900, 1600, and 680 ng/g, respectively. This study revealed that the higher bioaccessibility of PFRs versus other compounds was related to the negative correlation between FR concentrations and log K_OW (hydrophobicity) values. The fact that hazard indices calculated using measured bioaccessibilities were less than 1 suggested that the non-cancer risk to human health by the FRs exposure via dust ingestion might be low.

Keywords: Bioaccessibility; E-Waste-processing site; Flame retardants; Health risk; Ingestion exposure.

MeSH terms

Air Pollution, Indoor / analysis
Biological Availability
Dust / analysis*
Eating
Electronic Waste / analysis*
Environmental Monitoring
Flame Retardants / analysis*
Gastrointestinal Tract / metabolism
Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / analysis*
Humans
Models, Biological
Occupational Exposure / analysis*
Risk Assessment
Vietnam

Substances

Dust
Flame Retardants
Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers