Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Synergy Innovation Institute of GDUT, Shantou, 515041, China.
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory for Contaminants Exposure and Health, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Health Risk Control, Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Photocatalytic Technology Integration and Equipment, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Catalysis and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
Environ Pollut. 2022 Sep 1;308:119713. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119713. Epub 2022 Jul 6.
Primitive electronic waste (e-waste) dismantling activities have been shown to be an important emissions source for a variety of toxic organic compounds, including carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Previous studies have found that some nitrated PAHs (NPAHs) are more toxic than their parent PAHs, however, little attention has been paid to the formation of PAH derivatives during e-waste processing and there is a lack of comprehensive data from field observations. In this study, the spatial distribution, temporal trends and atmospheric fate of NPAHs and hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) were investigated at typical e-waste dismantling sites, with monitoring data collected over three consecutive years. Compared to background levels, higher levels of NPAHs and OH-PAHs were found in air samples from an e-waste dismantling industrial park, with their seasonal and annual changes shown to be affected by e-waste dismantling activities. Atmospheric PM particles were found to have high relative abundances of NPAHs (76.9%-95.1%) and OH-PAHs (73.3%-91.6%), with particle-bound concentrations ranging from 20.1 to 88.8 and 37.1 to 107 pg m, respectively. The most abundant NPAH isomers were found to be 9-Nitroanthracene and 2-Nitrofluoranthene, while OH-PAH isomers containing 2-4 rings were predominant. Source identification was performed based on the specific diagnostic ratios of NPAH isomers, confirming that NPAH and OH-PAH emissions have multiple sources, including emissions related to the e-waste dismantling process, atmospheric photochemical reactions and traffic emissions. Further research on the fate of such derivatives and their potential use as markers for source identification, is urgently required.
原始电子废物（电子垃圾）拆解活动已被证明是多种有毒有机化合物的重要排放源，包括致癌多环芳烃（PAHs）。先前的研究发现，一些硝化多环芳烃（NPAHs）比其母体 PAHs 更具毒性，然而，在电子废物处理过程中，对 PAH 衍生物的形成关注甚少，并且缺乏来自现场观测的综合数据。在这项研究中，在典型的电子废物拆解现场调查了 NPAHs 和羟基化多环芳烃（OH-PAHs）的空间分布、时间趋势和大气命运，监测数据收集了连续三年。与背景水平相比，在电子废物拆解工业园区的空气样本中发现了更高水平的 NPAHs 和 OH-PAHs，其季节性和年度变化受电子废物拆解活动的影响。大气 PM 颗粒中 NPAHs（76.9%-95.1%）和 OH-PAHs（73.3%-91.6%）的相对丰度较高，颗粒结合浓度范围分别为 20.1 至 88.8 和 37.1 至 107 pg m。发现最丰富的 NPAH 异构体是 9-硝基蒽和 2-硝基荧蒽，而含有 2-4 个环的 OH-PAH 异构体占主导地位。基于 NPAH 异构体的特定诊断比进行了来源识别，证实 NPAH 和 OH-PAH 排放有多个来源，包括与电子废物拆解过程、大气光化学反应和交通排放有关的排放。迫切需要进一步研究这些衍生物的命运及其作为源识别标记的潜在用途。
