Widespread occurrence of emerging E-waste contaminants - Liquid crystal monomers in sediments of the Pearl River Estuary, China

Danyang Tao; Qianqian Jin; Yuefei Ruan; Kai Zhang; Linjie Jin; Yuting Zhan; Guanyong Su; Jiaxue Wu; Kenneth M Y Leung; Paul K S Lam; Yuhe He

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129377

Widespread occurrence of emerging E-waste contaminants - Liquid crystal monomers in sediments of the Pearl River Estuary, China

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Sep 5:437:129377. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129377. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Authors

Danyang Tao¹, Qianqian Jin², Yuefei Ruan¹, Kai Zhang³, Linjie Jin⁴, Yuting Zhan⁵, Guanyong Su⁶, Jiaxue Wu⁷, Kenneth M Y Leung¹, Paul K S Lam⁸, Yuhe He⁹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China.
² Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; National Observation and Research Station of Coastal Ecological Environments in Macao, Macao Environmental Research Institute, Macau University of Science and Technology, 999078, Macao Special Adminstrative Region of China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
⁵ School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
⁶ School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China.
⁷ School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China.
⁸ State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; Office of the President, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, China.
⁹ Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China; School of Energy and Environment and State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: henry.he@cityu.edu.hk.

PMID: 35738172
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129377

Abstract

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), commonly used in screens of electronic devices, have recently been identified as a group of emerging chemicals of concern associated with e-waste. They are potentially persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances, and may pose a threat to the marine ecosystem. The Pearl River Estuary (PRE) receives organic contaminants discharged from the Pearl River Delta region, where primitive handling of e-waste is widespread. However, information on the pollution status of LCMs in the PRE is absent. Herein, a rapid and robust analytical method was established using ultrasonic extraction, solid phase extraction cleanup, and GC-Orbitrap-MS analysis. The spatial distribution of 39 target LCMs was investigated in 45 surface sediment samples from the PRE. Ten LCMs were detected, with ΣLCMs ranged from 0.9 to 31.1 ng/g dry weight. Our results demonstrated a widespread occurrence of LCMs in the sediments of the PRE, and a gradient of their contamination from inshore to offshore regions, indicating land-based origins. Our reported ΣLCMs concentrations were relatively higher compared to many other legacy and emerging pollutants found in the same investigated area. Preliminary risk assessment showed 3VbcH, Pe3bcH and tFMeO-3bcHP might be the top 3 risk contributors in the PRE. Further investigation on the ecological impact of LCMs on marine benthic ecosystems, as well as identification of their sources and control measures are warranted.

Keywords: E-waste; Emerging contaminants; Liquid crystal monomers; Pearl River Estuary; Sediment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

China
Ecosystem
Electronic Waste* / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Estuaries
Geologic Sediments / chemistry
Liquid Crystals*
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical