Exposure to PCBs, through inhalation, dermal contact and dust ingestion at Taizhou, China – A major site for recycling transformers

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2011-04, Vol.83 (4), p.605-611
• Main Authors: Xing, Guan Hua, Liang, Ying, Chen, Ling Xuan, Wu, Sheng Chun, Wong, Ming Hung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollution - statistics & numerical data; Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Capacitors; China; Drying; Dust; Dust - analysis; Electronic Waste - analysis; Electronic waste recycling; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Exact sciences and technology; Exposure pathways; Humans; Ingestion; Medical sciences; Pollution; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis; Recycling; Residential areas; Skin - metabolism; Toxicology; Transformers; Waste Management; Workshops
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.12.018

► Taizhou, Zhejiang Province is a major site for recycling transformers in the world. ► PCB levels in air and dust at workshops were higher than at residential areas. ► Highest level in workshop was 17.6 ng m −3 (air) and 2159 pg TEQ 2005/g dry wt (dust). ► Estimated intake via dust ingestion by workers was 67.3 × 10 −5 pg WHO-PCB-TEQ/kg/d. ► Estimated intake via dermal absorption was 31.3 × 10 −5 pg WHO-PCB-TEQ/kg/d. Air samples containing gaseous and particulate phases were collected from e-waste workplaces and residential areas of an intensive e-waste recycling area and compared with a reference site. The highest total concentration of PCBs was detected at transformer recycling workshops (17.6 ng m −3), followed by the residential area (3.37 ng m −3) at Taizhou, and the lowest was obtained at the residential area of the reference site, Lin’an (0.46 ng m −3). The same trend was also observed with regards to PCB levels in dust samples. The highest average PCBs level of 2824 ng g −1 (dry wt) was found in the transformer recycling workshops, and was significantly higher than that of residential areas of Taizhou (572 ng g −1 dry wt) and Lin’an (42.4 ng g −1 dry wt). WHO-PCB-TEQ level in the workshops of Taizhou was 2216 pg TEQ 1998 g −1 dry wt or 2159 pg TEQ 2005 g −1 dry wt, due to the high abundance of PCB 126 (21.5 ng g −1 dry wt), which contributed 97% or 99% of WHO-PCB-TEQs. The estimated intake of PCBs via dust ingestion and dermal absorption by transformer recycling workers were 77.5 × 10 −5 and 36.0 × 10 −5 pg WHO-PCB-TEQ 1998 kg −1 d −1, and 67.3 × 10 −5 and 31.3 × 10 −5 pg WHO-PCB-TEQ 2005 kg −1 d −1, respectively.