Assessment of legacy and alternative halogenated organic pollutants in outdoor dust and soil from e-waste sites in Nigeria: Concentrations, patterns, and implications for human exposure

Abstract

E-waste is often processed informally, particularly in developing countries, resulting in the release of harmful chemicals into the environment. This study investigated the co-occurrence of selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including legacy and alternative halogenated flame retardants (10 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), syn and anti-dechlorane plus (DP)), 32 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 12 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), in 20 outdoor dust and 49 soil samples from 7 e-waste sites in Nigeria. This study provides the first report on alternative flame retardants (DBDPE and DP) in Nigeria. The total concentration range of the selected classes of compounds was in the order: ∑10PBDEs (44 - 12300 ng/g) > DBDPE (4.9 - 3032 ng/g) > ∑2DP (0.7 - 278 ng/g) > ∑32PCBs (4.9 - 148 ng/g) > ∑12OCPs (1.9 - 25 ng/g) for dust, and DBDPE (4.9 - 9647 ng/g) > ∑10PBDEs (90.3 - 7548 ng/g) > ∑32PCBs (6.1 - 5025 ng/g) > ∑12OCPs (1.9 - 250 ng/g) > ∑2DP (2.1 - 142 ng/g) for soil. PBDEs were the major contributor to POP pollution at e-waste dismantling sites, while PCBs were the most significant contributors at e-waste dumpsites. DBDPE was found to be significantly associated with pollution at both e-waste dismantling and dumpsites. Estimated daily intake (EDI) via dust and soil ingestion and dermal adsorption routes ranged from 1.3 to 2.8 ng/kg bw/day and 0.2 to 2.9 ng/kg bw/day, respectively. In the worst-case scenario, EDI ranged from 2.9 to 10 ng/kg bw/day and 0.8 to 5.8 ng/kg bw/day for dust and soil respectively. The obtained intake levels posed no non-carcinogenic risk but could increase the incidence of cancer at some of the studied e-waste sites, with values exceeding the USEPA cancer risk lower limit (1.0 × 10-6). Overall, our results suggest that e-waste sites act as emission point sources of POPs.