Toxic Metals in Particulate Matter and Health Risks in an E-Waste Dismantling Park and Its Surrounding Areas: Analysis of Three PM Size Groups

Yingjun Wu; Guiying Li; Taicheng An

doi:10.3390/ijerph192215383

Toxic Metals in Particulate Matter and Health Risks in an E-Waste Dismantling Park and Its Surrounding Areas: Analysis of Three PM Size Groups

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 21;19(22):15383. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192215383.

Authors

Yingjun Wu^{1

2}, Guiying Li^{1

2}, Taicheng An^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
² Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, Key Laboratory of City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.

Abstract

Heavy metals generated from e-waste have created serious health risks for residents in e-waste disposal areas. This study assessed how airborne toxic metals from an e-waste dismantling park (EP) influenced surrounding residential areas after e-waste control. PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and total suspended particles (TSP) were sampled from 20 sites, including an EP, residential areas, and an urban site; ten kinds of metals were analyzed using ICP-MS and classified as PM_2.5, PM_2.5-10, and PM_10-100. Results showed that metals at the EP tended to be in coarser particles, while metals from residential areas tended to be in finer particles. A source analysis showed that metals from the EP and residential areas may have different sources. Workers' cancer and non-cancer risks were higher when exposed to PM_2.5-10 metals, while residents' risks were higher when exposed to PM_2.5 metals. As and Cr were the most strongly associated with cancer risks, while Mn was the most strongly associated with the non-cancer risk. Both workers and residents had cancer risks (>1.0 × 10^-6), but risks were lower for residents. Therefore, e-waste control can positively affect public health in this area. This study provides a basis for further controlling heavy metal emissions into the atmosphere by e-waste dismantling and encouraging worldwide standardization of e-waste dismantling.

Keywords: e-waste; health risks; heavy metals; particulate matters; size and spatial distribution.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Atmosphere
Electronic Waste*
Heavy Metal Poisoning
Humans
Particulate Matter*

Substances

Particulate Matter
polyoxyethylene (2-methyl-2-propenyl) methyl diether-maleic anhydride copolymer

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Project (2019YFC1804504 and 2019YFC1804503), National Natural Science Foundation of China (41731279), and Local Innovative and Research Teams Project of Guangdong Pearl River Talents Program (2017BT01Z032).