Effects of Environmental Lead Pollution on Blood Lead and Sex Hormone Levels among Occupationally Exposed Group in An E-waste Dismantling Area

Objective To study the effects of environmental multi-media lead pollution on blood lead and sex hormone levels among lead exposed males engaged in E-waste dismantling, and the correlation between confounding factors and sex hormone levels. Methods An E-waste dismantling area in Taizhou of Zhejiang Province was selected as the research site. One hundred and fifty two samples were collected from the groundwater, soil, rice, corn, chicken, and pork in the dismantling area. The effects of the multi-media lead pollution on the male blood lead and sex hormone levels of FSH, LH, and T, as well as the correlation with confounding factors, were studied. Results The blood lead concentrations in the males aged under 31, from 31 to 45 and from 46 to 60 were 98.55, 100.23, and 101.45 I~/L, respectively. Of all the environmental media lead exposures, the groundwater, rice and soil were main contributing factors to the lead accumulation in humans. FSH and LH levels increased with the age while the T levels decreased with the age instead. There was a significant correlation between the FSH and LH levels and wearing masks. Conclusion There was correlation between the FSH, LH, and T levels, and the mean values of lead concentrations in environmental media, and the sex hormone levels were correlated with the confounding factor of wearing masks.

Health Risks Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Soil-Crop System from an E-Waste Dismantling Area

Soil is an essential resource for agricultural production.In order to investigate the pollution situation of heavy metals in the soil-crop system in the e-waste dismantling area,the crop and soil samples(226 pairs,including leaf vegetables,solanaceous vegetables,root vegetables,and fruits)around the e-waste dismantling area in southeastern Zhejiang Province were collected.The concentrations of Cd,Cu,Pb,and Cr were determined.The average concentrations of Cd,Cu,Pb,and Cr in soils were 0.94,107.79,80.28,and 78.14 mg kg-1,respectively,and their corresponding concentrations in crops were 0.024,0.7,0.041,and 0.06 mg kg-1,respectively.The transfer capacity of leaf vegetables was significantly higher than that of non-leaf vegetables,and the accumulation of four heavy metals in crops tended to be Cd>Cu>Cr/Pb.The pollution index’s results revealed that the soil pollution degree under different land uses ranked as root vegetables soil>leaf vegetables soil>solanaceous vegetables soil>fruit soil.The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of heavy metal exposure were ranked as food intake>accidental ingestion>dermal contact>inhalation.The comprehensive non-carcinogenic risk was ranked as Cr>Cd>Pb/Cu.Our results could be used to provide useful information for further crop cultivation layout in the study area,which can guarantee the local residents’health and food safety.

Polychlorinated biphenyls in the atmosphere of Taizhou,a major e-waste dismantling area in China

PM2.5, total suspended particles （TSP） and gas phase samples were collected at two sites of Talzhou, a major e-waste dismantling area in China. Concentrations, seasonal variations, congener profiles, gas-particle partitioning and size distribution of the atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyls （PCBs） were studied to assess the current state of atmospheric PCBs after the phase out of massive historical dismantling of PCBs containing e-wastes. The average ∑38PCBs concentration in the ambient air （TSP plus gas phase） near the e-waste dismantling area was （12,407 ± 9592） pg/m^3 in winter, which was substantially lower than that found one decade ago. However, the atmospheric PCBs level near the e-waste dismantling area was 54 times of the reference urban site, indicating that the impact of the historical dismantling of PCBs containing e-wastes was still significant. Tri-Penta-CBs were dominant homologues, consisting with their dominant global production. Size distribution of particle-bound PCBs showed that higher chlorinated CBs tended to partition more to the fine particles, facilitating its long range air transportation.

A new centrality measure based on neighbor loop structure for network dismantling

Nearly all real-world networks are complex networks and usually are in danger of collapse.Therefore,it is crucial to exploit and understand the mechanisms of network attacks and provide better protection for network functionalities.Network dismantling aims to find the smallest set of nodes such that after their removal the network is broken into connected components of sub-extensive size.To overcome the limitations and drawbacks of existing network dismantling methods,this paper focuses on network dismantling problem and proposes a neighbor-loop structure based centrality metric,NL,which achieves a balance between computational efficiency and evaluation accuracy.In addition,we design a novel method combining NL-based nodes-removing,greedy tree-breaking and reinsertion.Moreover,we compare five baseline methods with our algorithm on ten widely used real-world networks and three types of model networks including Erd€os-Renyi random networks,Watts-Strogatz smallworld networks and Barabasi-Albert scale-free networks with different network generation parameters.Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms most peer methods by obtaining a minimal set of targeted attack nodes.Furthermore,the insights gained from this study may be of assistance to future practical research into real-world networks.

Atmospheric levels and distribution of Dechlorane Plus in an E-waste dismantling region of East China

Atmospheric concentrations of Dechlorane Plus(DP)were investigated in Taizhou,an electronic-waste(E-waste)dismantling region in East China.Passive air samplers with polyurethane foam(PUF)disks were deployed every three months during the sampling period of September 2009-August 2010.The total DP(syn-and anti-DP)concentrations in air ranged from not detected to 277 pg/m^3,with a mean concentration of 53.9 pg/m^3.A generally declining trend of DP levels was found from the E-waste dismantling region to the peripheral areas.The median values of total DP concentrations in autumn,winter,spring and summer were 52.2,28.8,39.7 and 30.1 pg/m^3,respectively.The seasonal variations of DP concentrations were mainly associated with the intensity of E-waste dismantling activities and meteorological conditions.The mean value of anti-DP fractional abundance(f_(anti))was 0.74±0.08,which was consistent with those in the commercial DP products.This study confirmed a significant emission source related to the distribution of atmospheric DP in the E-waste dismantling area and supplied information for the seasonal variation of DP in the atmosphere.

Integrating the valence theory and the norm activation theory to understand consumers’ e-waste recycling intention

Electrical and electronic waste(e-waste)is a growing challenge,matching the widespread boom in the use of information and communication technology.Opposite to an alarming increasing amount of e-waste,a low rate of consumer engagement in ensuring the proper disposal of such materials intensifies the pressure on the exist‐ing e-waste crisis.To deal with this thorny problem,it is of great interest to grasp consumers’disposal and re‐cycling behavioral intentions.Therefore,this study attempts to understand complementary perspectives around consumers’e-waste recycling intention based on the integration of the valence theory and the norm activation theory.Four data mining models using classification and prediction-based algorithms,namely Chi squared automatic interaction detector(CHAID),Neural network,Discriminant analysis,and Quick,unbiased,efficient statistical tree(QUEST),were employed to analyze a set of the 398 data collected in Vietnam.The re‐sults revealed that the social support value is by far the most critical predictor,followed by the utilitarian value,task difficulty,and monetary risk.It is also noteworthy that the awareness of consequences,education background,the ascription of responsibility,and age were also ranked as critical affecting factors.The lowest influential predictors found in this study were income and gender.In addition,a comparison was made in terms of the classification performance of the four utilized data mining techniques.Based on several evalua‐tion measurements(confusion matrix,accuracy,precision,recall,specificity,F-measure,ROC curve,and AUC),the aggregated results suggested that CHAID and Neural network performed the best.The findings of this research are expected to assist policymakers and future researchers in updating all information surround‐ing consumer behavioral intention-related topics focusing on e-waste.Furthermore,the adoption of data min‐ing algorithms for prediction is another insight of this study,which may shed the light on data mining applica‐tions in such environmental studies in the future.

Physicochemical Properties and Health Risks of Informal E-Waste Processing at Alaba International Market in Lagos, Nigeria

This study investigated the groundwater quality and health risks associated with informal e-waste processing in the Alaba International Market in Lagos, Nigeria. Twenty-two groundwater samples were collected from hand-dug wells in the market area and analyzed for physicochemical properties and heavy metal concentrations. The results showed that the groundwater quality was poor, with high levels of heavy metals, including cadmium, lead, and chromium. The health index (HI) for children and adults was above the tolerable threshold levels, indicating a potential health risk to the population. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to identify the sources of metals in groundwater, and the results showed that informal e-waste processing was a significant source of contamination. The study highlights the need for effective management strategies to mitigate the potential health risks associated with informal e-waste processing and ensure public health and environmental safety.

Ecotoxicological effects of mixed pollutants resulted from e-wastes recycling and bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in Chinese loach(Misgurnus anguillicaudatus)

To understand potential ecotoxicological effects of electrical and electronic equipment waste （e-waste） recycling and polybrominated diphenyl ethers （PBDEs） bioaccumulation in loaches, a semi-field experiment using Chinese loach （Misgurnus anguiUicaudatus） as experimental fish was performed. Larval loaches were kept in net-cage for three months in an e-wastes recycling site and a reference site in Southeastern China. There was significant difference of the survival rate between the loaches from the e-wastes recycling site （27%, 19/70） and from reference site （70%, 49/70）. Histopathological responses were also found in all the livers examined in loaches from the e-wastes recycling site. These results showed that mixed pollutants resulted from e-wastes recycling led to ecotoxicological effects on loaches. The bioaccumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers （PBDEs）, the main pollutants in e-waste, in loaches was also studied, the mean concentration of total PBDEs in sediment was 6726.17 ng/g wet weight and in water samples was 4.08 ng/L （dissolved phase）. BDE 209 was the dominant congener in sediment and with relatively high concentration in water. Relatively low concentration of BDE 209 （less than 0.01% of total PBDEs） and high concentration of BDE47 （up to 39.34% of total PBDEs） were detected in loaches.

Developing an Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Model for Small E-Waste Recycling:An Analysis of Consumer Behavior Determinants

WEEE(Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment),also called e-waste,has become the world’s fastest-growing waste stream but only has a 17.4%recycling rate according to the Global E-waste Monitor 2020.The collection rate for sWEEE(Small WEEE),e.g.,used mobile phones,is even lower than 10%due to stockpiling at home and improper disposal via the general waste or private informal channels.The purpose of this paper was to(a)review how the TPB(Theory of Planned Behavior)was applied in the literature related to consumer behavioral intention for WEEE recycling and determine the most significant TPB predictors by comparing their standardized influence coefficients across various studies,and(b)identify additional behavior determinants specific to sWEEE recycling and thus develop a new TPB-sWEEE theoretical framework by integrating the TPB model with these new determinants in order to improve the predictability of consumers’sWEEE recycling behavioral intention.This paper reviewed over 30 peer-reviewed studies from Scopus and high impact factor journals and led to the following three key findings:(a)More variables of recycling behavioral intention determinants such as the size of WEEE need to be considered;(b)Eight sWEEE-specific behavioral determinants have been identified and included in the newly developed TPB-sWEEE model,including consumers’Sentimental Attachment,Data Security Concern,Economic Incentives,and How-to Knowledge;(c)For some sWEEE-specific determinants,their extent of influence differs across various regions and countries.This paper contributes to the sWEEE-specific consumer recycling behavior theoretical framework to fill the existing gap in the literature and provides recommendations through the new model for research-based behavioral intervention strategies and policy designs globally.

Sustainable Guideline for Developing the E-Waste Sector in Egypt

The amount of electronic waste generated globally is alarming especially that it is on the rise. The impact of the generated amounts is not only Environmental. The electronic waste sector is unregulated in most developing countries;this results in the informal sector being heavily involved in managing and handling it. Due to the lack of regulations, informal handlers are exposed to hazardous materials that affect both their health and health of the communities living in their proximity. Moreover, the informal sector involves illegal child and women labor under harsh conditions. In addition to the social impact, the lack of regulations leads to missing major economic opportunities associated with developing a recycling industry for the safe handling and material recovery from the generated e-waste volumes. Electronic waste may contain up to 60 different materials including precious and rare-earth metals with estimated equivalent economic value of 48 billion Euros. Egypt is one the countries which lack policies and regulations dedicated to e-waste, hence the Egyptian economy is missing the economic potential and job creation opportunities associated with developing the e-waste sector as well as facing major Environmental and health challenges due to the improper handling of the generated amounts. This paper briefly reviews the current situation of e-waste in Egypt. The paper then proposes an adapted guideline for the sustainable management of e-waste in Egypt. The guideline is based on the international regulations and guidelines especially those of countries similar to the Egyptian socioeconomic context. The produced guideline focuses on establishing a collection and recycling framework for e-waste in Egypt with EPR at its center. The guideline also establishes a financing system to help foster the recycling industry in Egypt while fulfilling the three main pillars of sustainability.

Estimation of Future Generated Amount of E-Waste in the United States

Electrical and electronic equipment waste, or e-waste, is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the United States. The main objective of this study is to estimate the future quantities of e-waste of thirteen selected electric and electronic products in the United States in 2025. To estimate the future amount of e-waste, the authors performed a material flow analysis. The model inputs are historical and future product sales data and the product’s average life span. Sensitivity analysis was constructed to evaluate the effect of the model inputs (average life span and future sales data) in the generation of e-waste. The results show that about 1.0835 billion units will reach their end of life (EOL) in 2025;cell phone devices are the highest occurring product among the thirteen selected products and weighted for about 66.0% of units of the total amount, followed by computer products at 18.0%, TV products at 11.6%, computer monitors at 1.7%, hard copy peripherals (HCP) at 1.6%, and computer accessories at 1.0%. The sensitivity analysis shows that the product life span has an effect on the e-waste generation amounts from the products under study, while the sensitivity analysis of forecasted future sales indicates that the generated waste will increase or decrease according to the sales trend.

Assessment of the Level of Awareness of E-Waste Management and Concern for the Environment amongst the Populace in Onitsha, Southeastern Nigeria

This study was carried out to ascertain the peoples’ level of awareness of the regulation, their mode of disposal of the e-wastes and their awareness of the dangers inherent in improper handling and disposal of wastes. Data for this study were collected through the distribution of 247 well-structured questionnaires. Likert Scale was adopted for the analysis of the respondents. The results revealed that awareness is critically low. Though the respondents have concern for their environment in various degrees, majority dispose their e-waste alongside municipal wastes without knowing the implications. Awareness strategy was designed for sensitization campaign.

Material Flow Analysis of Electronic Wastes (e-Wastes) in Lagos, Nigeria

The fate of end-of-life electronics (e-wastes) is of increasing concern because of their toxicity and ever increasing volumes. Addressing these concerns requires proper management plans and strategy which in turn requires reliable estimates of e-waste generation in the present as well as future times. In this study, a material flow model for the analysis of e-waste generation from computer equipments inNigeriahas been developed. Data used to develop the model are the sales data from major distributors of electronics, usage time of computer equipments and transfer coefficients of the electronics from one stage to another. The analysis of individual flows of computer from the material flow model showed that the fate of obsolete computer equipments were storage (41%), reuse (35%) and direct disposal (24%). The projections of the flows for a period of 15 years also indicated that storage and reuse of computer equipments would be preferred over direct disposal;and computer equipments would continue to remain in either storage, re-use or gradually disposed off for about 11 years after its inflow. This delay or staggering disposal is of advantage as it would reduce the amount of e-waste disposed yearly and also afford the country some time to make plans to accommodate and manage the e-wastes generated more efficiently.

Design of Dismantling and Recycling Equipment for Junction Boxes of Waste Crystal Silicon Photovoltaic Modules

The dismantling and recycling of junction boxes,which is an important part of the photovoltaic module recycling process,was tested and designed scientifically.The equipment framework was built by three-dimensional simulation,and then the design of dismantling and recycling equipment for junction boxes of waste crystal silicon photovoltaic modules was completed through the experimental test and data analysis.The experimental results show that the initial idea of the dismantling scheme is correct,and the structure is feasible.However,some problems were not considered.This study provides reliable data support for the subsequent equipment development and ensures the smooth development of the subsequent design work.

Is There an Association between the Type of Activities and Respiratory Disorders among e-Waste Workers? Case of Two Major Cities in West Africa

Background: Several studies have demonstrated that e-waste workers had a risk to develop the respiratory disorders but this was not specifically differentiated according to the type of the e-waste activities. The main aim of this study was to evaluate if the risk to develop respiratory disorders was different according to the type of activities carried out by the e-waste workers. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Abidjan and Cotonou, two big cities in West Africa. The participants were randomly selected based on the list of e-waste workers provided by the census of different sites of e-waste. The spirometry was performed on all the study participants to assess whether they had respiratory disorders. A regression logistic model was performed to estimate the risk of developing respiratory disorders according to the type of activities carried out by the e-waste workers. Results: In total 308 e-waste workers including 149 at Abidjan and 159 at Cotonou were interviewed. Participants of this study ranged in age from 14 years to 69 years and the mean age was 33.71 ± 10.96. The main activities carried out by the study participants were respectively repairing (44.8%), buying or selling (40.3%), dismantling (31.8%). The prevalence of respiratory disorders was 20.1%. The multivariate analysis had not found a significant association between the type of activities and the presence of respiratory disorders. Conclusion: The effect of exposure to e-waste on respiratory health of workers was not different according to the type of activities. So, any policy that aims to reduce the risk of exposure on respiratory health must take into account all the e-waste workers regardless of the type of activities they perform in this sector.

Heavy Metal Profile of Oreochromis niloticus Harvested from E-Waste Polluted Vials and Associated Fungi

This study was designed to investigate the possible variation in bioaccumulation of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, zinc, cobalt, chromium, nickel, and manganese) in the tissue of harvested Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia) and the associated fungi from vials treated with soil from e-waste dumpsite and soil without e-waste. E-waste is electronic waste which contains valuable metals as well as potential environmental contaminants. The heavy metals in soil and fish samples were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) after homogeneity and digestion of samples. The associated fungi were identified using standard microbiological methods. The genera of the associated fungi were: Penicillium, Candida, Articulospora, Aspergillus, Aspergillus, Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Mucor, Zoopage, Varicosporium and Rhodoturula. The quantity of fungi isolated from each pollution treatments showed that the number of fungi were inversely proportional to the quantity of e-waste soil pollution and directly proportional to the quantity of soil without e-waste pollution. The occurrence of the fungi species revealed that the untreated (control) vial had the highest occurrence (191) while the lowest occurrence (103) occurred in the vial polluted with the highest quantity of soil from e-waste dumpsite. The pH and the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of the vials were significantly affected by the pollutions. Variations were also observed in the bioaccumulation of the heavy metals by Oreochromis niloticus. Cadmium (0.01 mg/kg) and nickel (0.02 - 0.08 mg/kg) were the least recorded metal in the tissue of the fish while cobalt was not detected after the five weeks period. The sequence of the heavy metals concentrations in Oreochromis niloticus tissue samples was Zn > Mn > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd > Co. The accumulation of the metals in the fish tissue were, however, lower than the international maximum guidelines, except for manganese (0.29 - 3.13 mg/kg) that exceeded the 0.01 - 0.05 mg/kg threshold levels for manganese by Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). Protecting the environments from toxic metals is necessary, hence a need for public awareness on the dangers of these toxic metals and law for proper disposal of e-waste.

Perspective of E-Waste in Concrete: A Review

In this digital era,usage of electric and electronic devices has become the need of people.Evolution of technology triggers the adoption of new devices over old and discarded appliances turned into the electronic wastes also termed as e-waste/s.E-waste from any source has become a major concern to the society.The disposal of these wastes into the landfills causes many hazardous impacts to the ecosystem.As a promising solution construction industry can utilize the e-wastes effectively.The wastes may be used either as fine filler or aggregates in concrete and bituminous based constructions efficiently.Usage of waste/s conserves the natural resources also.Present study magnifies the scenario of application of electronic wastes in different forms i.e.,plastic,metal etc.in bituminous and concrete based mixtures.A critical review has been carried the effects of electronic wastes in concrete and bituminous mixes and findings confirm the praxis of electronic wastes is possible within certain limits.

Prediction of External Exposure during Dismantling of Steam Generator

The decommissioning of nuclear power plants is in the Slovak Republic an actual issue. In 2015 started the second decommissioning stage of nuclear power plant V1 in Jaslovské Bohunice. This stage involves the dismantling and segmentation of activated (reactor pressure vessel, reactor internals) and contaminated parts (steam generators, pressurizer). From this reason it is necessary to investigate the radiation situation in the vicinity of the component to be cut. The presented results show that during remote dismantling the exposure is small (compared with the fragmentation tasks). Moreover, when the pre-dismantling decontamination with decontamination factor of 100 is applied, the total collective effective dose is below the yearly limit of 20 mSv for workers.