Regional Institute of Public Health Comlan Alfred Quenum, University of Abomey-Calavi, Ouidah 384, Benin.
School of Public Health, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1070 Brussels, Belgium.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 29;18(7):3517. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18073517.
The recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) contaminates ecosystems with metals, though a compilation of data from across sites worldwide is lacking, without which evidence-based comparisons and conclusions cannot be realized. As such, here, a systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify peer-reviewed studies concerning e-waste sites (published between 2005 and 2017) that reported on the concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Hg, As, Pb and Cr) in soil, water and sediment. From 3063 papers identified, 59 studies from 11 countries meeting predefined criteria were included. Reported metal concentrations were summarized, and a narrative synthesis was performed. This review summarized 8286 measurements of the aforementioned metals in soils (5836), water (1347) and sediment (1103). More than 70% of the studies were conducted in Asia. In nearly all cases, the average metal concentrations in a particular medium from a given site were above guideline values; suggesting soils, water and sediment at, or near, e-waste recycling sites are contaminated. Across all media, concentrations of Pb were generally highest, followed by Cr, As, Cd and Hg. The synthesized information demonstrates that e-waste sites worldwide are contaminated with metals, that geographic data gaps exist, that the quality of most studies can be improved and that action is needed to help reduce such levels to protect human health and the environment.
电子废物（电子垃圾）的回收会使金属污染生态系统，但缺乏来自全球各地的综合数据，因此无法实现基于证据的比较和结论。因此，在这里，我们对文献进行了系统综述，以确定发表于 2005 年至 2017 年期间、涉及电子垃圾场的同行评议研究，这些研究报告了土壤、水和沉积物中重金属（Cd、Hg、As、Pb 和 Cr）的浓度。在确定的 3063 篇论文中，有 59 篇来自 11 个国家的研究符合既定标准。总结了报告的金属浓度，并进行了叙述性综合分析。本综述总结了上述土壤（5836 个）、水（1347 个）和沉积物（1103 个）中 8286 项金属测量值。超过 70%的研究是在亚洲进行的。在几乎所有情况下，特定地点特定介质中的平均金属浓度都高于指导值；这表明电子废物回收地点的土壤、水和沉积物受到了污染。在所有介质中，Pb 的浓度通常最高，其次是 Cr、As、Cd 和 Hg。综合信息表明，全世界的电子垃圾场都受到金属污染，存在地理数据空白，大多数研究的质量可以提高，需要采取行动以帮助降低这些水平，以保护人类健康和环境。
