Monitoring of organic micropollutants in Ghana by combination of pellet watch with sediment analysis: E-waste as a source of PCBs

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2014-09, Vol.86 (1-2), p.575-581
• Main Authors: Hosoda, Junki, Ofosu-Anim, John, Sabi, Edward Benjamin, Akita, Lailah Gifty, Onwona-Agyeman, Siaw, Yamashita, Rei, Takada, Hideshige
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Cities; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Electronic waste; Electronic Waste - analysis; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - analysis; Ghana; Linear alkylbenzenes; Marine; Marine and brackish environment; Markers; Molecular markers; PCBs; Pellet watch; Pellets; Plastics - chemistry; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Rivers; Rivers - chemistry; Scrapyards; Sea water ecosystems; Sediments; Synecology; Triphenylbenzene; Waste water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.06.008

[Display omitted] •Pellet watch was conducted in Ghanaian coast, including capital city, Accra.•PCBs concentrations in pellets near Accra were higher than global background.•Sedimentary PCBs were higher at a location down e-waste scrapyard in Accra.•Triphenylbenzene, an indicator of plastic combustion, was abundant near the dump site.•The importance of e-waste as source of PCBs in Ghana was elucidated. Plastic resin pellets collected at 11 beaches covering the whole Ghanaian coastline were analyzed for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCB concentrations (∑13 congeners) were higher in Accra, capital city, and Tema (39–69ng/g-pellets) than those in rural coastal towns (1–15ng/g-pellets) which are close to global background, indicating local inputs of PCBs. River sediments were also analyzed for PCBs together with molecular markers. Sedimentary PCBs concentrations were highest at a site (AR02) downstream of an electronic waste (e-waste) scrapyard. At the site (AR02), concentration of linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), a marker of municipal wastewater, was lower than another site (AR03) which is located at the downstream of downtown Accra. This result suggests that PCBs are introduced more to the river from the e-waste site than from activities in downtown Accra. PAHs concentrations were relatively higher in urban areas with strong petrogenic signature. Abundance of triphenylbenzenes suggested plastic combustion near e-waste scrapyard.