Daily intake of polybrominated diphenyl ethers via dust and diet from an e-waste recycling area in China

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 276; pp. 35 - 42
• Main Authors: Jiang, Hong, Lin, Zhenkun, Wu, Yuanyuan, Chen, Xiangping, Hu, Yabing, Li, Yanyan, Huang, Changjiang, Dong, Qiaoxiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 15-07-2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Children; China; Diet; Dust; e-waste recycling area; Electronic Waste; Environmental Exposure; Ethers; Exposure; Food engineering; Food industries; Foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; General aspects; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - analysis; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - toxicity; Human risk; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Recycling; China; China, People's Rep; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Exposure; Human risk; e-waste recycling area; Human; Egg; House dust; Flame retardant; Volatile organic compound; Electronic scrap; Low volatile compound; Persistent organic pollutant; Design; Trophic chain; Gas chromatography; Health and environment; Food industry; Recycling; Mass spectrometry; Public health; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.05.014

•We estimated the human risk to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) exposure via dust and diet.•We estimated the human risk to PBDEs exposure in e-waste recycling area.•We found that dust intake was the dominant PBDE exposure route for children.•We provided an in depth analysis of potential daily intake of PBDEs via inhalation and ingestion.
This study was designed to estimate the human risk to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) exposure via two main exposure routes (dust and diet) in an e-waste recycling area in southern China. A total of 134 dust samples and 129 food samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The mean concentration of ΣPBDE in in-house dust (38,685ng/g dw) was higher than that in out-house dust (24,595ng/g). For food samples, the highest concentration of ΣPBDE was found in fish and shellfish (2755ng/kg ww), followed in descending order by eggs (2423ng/kg), cereals (2239ng/kg) and meat (1799ng/kg). The estimated total daily dietary intake of PBDEs was 1671ng/day for adults and 952ng/day for children. The present study indicated that dust intake was the dominant PBDE exposure route for children, and the dietary intake was the dominant PBDE exposure route for adults. Our findings revealed high PBDE concentrations in dust and food samples collected at the center of e-waste recycling area, raising significant health concerns for residents in this particular region, especially for children.