Soil contamination by brominated flame retardants in open waste dumping sites in Asian developing countries

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2013-03, Vol.90 (9), p.2365-2371
• Main Authors: Eguchi, Akifimi, Isobe, Tomohiko, Ramu, Karri, Tue, Nguyen Minh, Sudaryanto, Agus, Devanathan, Gnanasekaran, Viet, Pham Hung, Tana, Rouch Seang, Takahashi, Shin, Subramanian, Annamalai, Tanabe, Shinsuke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Asian developing countries; bromination; Cambodia; China; Developing Countries; Electronic Waste; electronic wastes; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollution - statistics & numerical data; Exact sciences and technology; flame retardants; Flame Retardants - analysis; Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers - analysis; Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs); Hydrocarbons, Brominated - analysis; India; Indonesia; Malaysia; Municipal waste dumping sites; plastics; Pollution; polybrominated diphenyl ethers; Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Refuse Disposal; risk; river deltas; rivers; Soil; Soil Pollutants - analysis; soil pollution; soil sampling; Urban and domestic wastes; Vietnam; Wastes
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.027

► PBDE levels in municipal dumping sites were higher than those in reference sites. ► HBCD levels in municipal dumping sites and reference sites were comparable. ► BDE-209 was the dominant PBDE congener, while γ-HBCD was the dominant isomer. ► Waste burning may be causing the elevated ratios of octa- and nona-BDEs, and α-HBCD. ► PBDE level and the TOC content of soils at dumping sites were not correlated. In Asian developing countries, large amounts of municipal wastes are dumped into open dumping sites each day without adequate management. This practice may cause several adverse environmental consequences and increase health risks to local communities. These dumping sites are contaminated with many chemicals including brominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs). BFRs may be released into the environment through production processes and through the disposal of plastics and electronic wastes that contain them. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the status of BFR pollution in municipal waste dumping sites in Asian developing countries. Soil samples were collected from six open waste dumping sites and five reference sites in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam from 1999 to 2007. The results suggest that PBDEs are the dominant contaminants in the dumping sites in Asian developing countries, whereas HBCD contamination remains low. Concentrations of PBDEs and HBCDs ranged from ND to 180μg/kg dry wt and ND to 1.4μg/kg dry wt, respectively, in the reference sites and from 0.20 to 430μg/kg dry wt and ND to 2.5μg/kg dry wt, respectively, in the dumping sites. Contamination levels of PBDEs in Asian municipal dumping sites were comparable with those reported from electronic waste dismantling areas in Pearl River delta, China.