Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in floor and road dust from a manual e-waste dismantling facility and adjacent communities in Thailand

ABSTRACT

This study characterizes concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in floor and road dust from a manual e-waste dismantling facility and adjacent communities in Thailand. Levels of Σ22 PBDEs in floor dust from the facility varied between 1,200 and 43,000 ng g⁻¹, whereas those from adjacent communities were in the range 6.6-2,200 ng g⁻¹. Concentrations of Σ22 PBDEs (43,000 ng g⁻¹) were highest in floor dust collected from the facility. Levels of Σ22 PBDEs and all congeners studied, except for BDE-66, BDE-71, BDE-85, BDE-119, BDE-138, BDE-190 and BDE-191 in facility dust were significantly greater than those in residential dust (P = <0.001-0.017). Moreover, PBDE contents decreased with increasing distance from the facility, revealing that the facility may represent a principal source of PBDEs to the surrounding environment. Levels of Σ22 PBDEs in road dust from the facility varied from 27 to 21,000 ng g⁻¹, while those from the adjacent residences were about 5.4-63 ng g⁻¹. Concentrations of Σ22 PBDEs (21,000 ng g⁻¹) were highest in road dust taken at the facility. The PBDE congener profile for floor dust from the facility was dominated by BDEs 28, 47 and 209, whereas domestic floor dust was predominated by BDEs 206 and 209. Under various scenarios of occupational and environmental exposure to BDE-99 and BDE-209, workers in the facility as well as adults and children in the adjacent communities were exposed below the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)'s reference doses (RfDs) for BDE-99 (100 ng/kg bw/day) and BDE-209 (7,000 ng/kg bw/day).

KEYWORDS:

• E-waste
• exposure
• floor dust
• polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)
• road dust

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Miss Phiyachat Nookongbut for sample processing. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the cooperation from the owners and workers at the Thai manual e-waste dismantling facility as well as the study participants for permitting us enter into the Buddhist temple and their houses.

Funding

Dr. Dudsadee Muenhor is grateful to the Korean Association of Southeast Asian Studies (KASEAS) and the ASEAN University Network (AUN) for the ASEAN-ROK academic exchange fellowship funding.