Florida International University, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Florida, USA.
J Environ Manage. 2022 Aug 15;316:115291. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115291. Epub 2022 May 15.
Poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been and are used in electronic products due to their unique properties that improve product quality and performance. Ubiquities and persistence of some PFAS detected in environmental samples (water, soil, air) have attracted much attention and regulatory actions in recent years. This review provides an overview of PFAS use in electronic components; trends in quantities of e-waste generation; PFAS exposure pathways during e-waste handling and processing; reported PFAS in environmental samples and samples of serum, blood, and hair collected from people living near and working at e-waste processing sites. Processes used for manufacturing electronic components (e.g., embedded processes, additive manufacturing) make recycling or materials recovery from discarded electronic units and components very difficult and unfeasible. Exposure during numerous processing steps for materials recovery and scavenging at disposal sites can result in PFAS intake through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal routes. Chemical risk assessment approaches have been continuously evolving to consider chemical-specific dosimetric and mechanistic information. While the metabolic fate of PFAS is not well understood, some PFAS bioaccumulate and bind to proteins (but not to lipids) in biota and humans due to their surface-active characteristics and very low solubility in water and fat. It is difficult to associate the adverse health effects due to exposure to e-waste directly to PFAS as there are other factors that could contribute to the observed adverse effects. However, PFAS have been detected in the samples collected from different environmental compartments (e.g., water, soil, leachate, blood sera, rainwater) at and near e-waste processing sites, landfills, and near electronics and optoelectronics industries indicating that e-waste collection, processing, and disposal sites are potential PFAS exposure locations. Better monitoring of e-waste handling sites and detailed epidemiological studies for at risk populations are needed for assessing potential health risks due to PFAS exposure at these sites.
多氟和全氟烷基物质（PFAS）因其独特的性质而被用于电子产品，这些性质可以提高产品的质量和性能。近年来，环境样品（水、土壤、空气）中检测到的一些 PFAS 的普遍性和持久性引起了人们的极大关注，并采取了监管措施。本综述概述了 PFAS 在电子元件中的用途；电子废物产生数量的趋势；电子废物处理和加工过程中 PFAS 的暴露途径；环境样品和从居住在电子废物处理场附近和工作的人身上采集的血清、血液和头发样本中报告的 PFAS。用于制造电子元件的工艺（例如嵌入式工艺、增材制造）使得从废弃的电子设备和元件中回收或回收材料变得非常困难和不可行。在处置场进行的多次材料回收和清除处理过程中，可能会通过吸入、摄入和皮肤途径摄入 PFAS。化学风险评估方法不断发展，以考虑特定化学物质的剂量学和机制信息。尽管 PFAS 的代谢命运尚不清楚，但由于其表面活性特性以及在水和脂肪中的极低溶解度，一些 PFAS 会在生物群和人类中生物积累并与蛋白质（而不是脂质）结合。由于其他因素可能导致观察到的不良影响，因此很难将因接触电子废物而导致的不良健康影响直接归因于 PFAS。然而，在电子废物处理场、垃圾填埋场以及电子和光电产业附近的不同环境隔室（例如水、土壤、沥滤液、血清、雨水）中采集的样本中均检测到了 PFAS，这表明电子废物的收集、处理和处置场是潜在的 PFAS 暴露地点。需要更好地监测电子废物处理场，并对高危人群进行详细的流行病学研究，以评估这些地点因 PFAS 暴露而导致的潜在健康风险。
