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Trace Element Contamination around the E-waste Recycling Site at Agbogbloshie, Accra City, Ghana
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Masanari Otsuka Taka-Aki Ansong, Kwadwo Mamoru Muto Shinsuke Tanabe |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Abstract | E-waste has become a subject of growing environmental concern in developing countries due to legal/illegal import from developed nations. In this study, we investigated the levels and speciation of trace metals in and around the largest e-waste recycling site, Agbogbloshie market in Accra city, Ghana. Concentrations of 15 elements in soil/ash mixtures collected around Agbogbloshie markets were measured by handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer. Concentrations of Cu (50 to 22000 mg/kg), Zn (200 to 160000 mg/ kg), Pb (100 to 14000 mg/kg) and Sn (<50 to 1000 mg/kg) were extremely high in residual ash derived from the combustion of coatings on metal wires. Bromine (Br) (20 to 1500 mg/kg), As (<50 to 1100 mg/kg) and Hg (<20 to 150 mg/kg) were also at moderately high levels. X-ray absorption fine structure measurements revealed that majority of Br was possibly in the inorganic form rather than organic contaminants. Predominance of inorganic Br in soil/ash mixtures might be attributed to the conversion of organic Br by thermal decomposition. Formation of dioxin like compounds is probably high in this area and hence further comprehensive monitoring is needed to assess the health risk for the e-waste recycling workers. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.terrapub.co.jp/onlineproceedings/ec/06/pdf/PR620.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
