Airborne Volatile Organic Compounds at an E-Waste Site in Ghana: Source Apportionment, Exposure and Health Risks

Details

• Personal Author:
  Arko-Mensah J ; Batterman S ; Fobil JN ; Godwin C ; Kwarteng L ; Lin N ; Robins T ; Warner S
• Description:
  Informal e-waste recycling processes emit various air pollutants. While there are a number of pollutants of concern, little information exists on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) releases at e-waste sites. To assess occupational exposures and estimate health risks, we measured VOC levels at the Agbogbloshie e-waste site in Ghana, the largest e-waste site in Africa, by collecting both fixed-site and personal samples for analyzing a wide range of VOCs. A total of 54 VOCs were detected, dominated by aliphatic and aromatic compounds. Mean and median concentrations of the total target VOCs were 46 and 37 µg/m3 at the fixed sites, and 485 and 162 µg/m3 for the personal samples. Mean and median hazard ratios were 2.1 and 1.4, respectively, and cancer risks were 4.6 × 10-4 and 1.5 × 10-4. These risks were predominantly driven by naphthalene and benzene; chloroform and formaldehyde were also high in some samples. Based on the VOC composition, the major sources were industry, fuel evaporation and combustion. The concentration gradient across sites and the similarity of VOC profiles indicated that the e-waste site emissions reached neighboring communities. Our results suggest the need to protect e-waste workers from VOC exposure, and to limit emissions that can expose nearby populations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Electrical Equipment And Supplies Occupational Health Recycling Safety Volatile Organic Compounds
• Keywords:
  Air Pollutants Author Keywords: Organochlorine Pesticide Cholesterol Electronic Devices Exposure Assessment Korea Temporal Trend Uric Acid VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds Waste Disposal

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• ISSN:
  0304-3894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  419
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070726
• Citation:
  J Hazard Mater 2021 Oct; 419:126353
• Contact Point Address:
  Stuart Batterman, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA 48109
• Email:
  stuartb@umich.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Hazardous Materials
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:530090c16fb28657c9b586dac265119076b8f97f7418592470b98d655542513080181086d521283269d561ed77a9c443096bb1ba5a473f2957eaccedd9a41014
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208898/cdc_208898_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.26 MB ]