The Chemistry and Health Outcomes of Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Leachate: Exposure to E-Waste Is Toxic to Atlantic Killifish ( Fundulus heteroclitus ) Embryos

Juliet Kelechi Igbo (), Lucian Obinna Chukwu, Emmanuel Olusegun Oyewo, Jason L. Blum, Ariana Schanzer, Isaac Wirgin, Gabriella Y. Meltzer, Nirmal K. Roy and Judith T. Zelikoff
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Juliet Kelechi Igbo: Department of Biological Oceanography, Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, 3 Wilmot Point Road, P.O. Box 12729, Lagos 106104, Nigeria
Lucian Obinna Chukwu: Department of Marine Sciences, University of Lagos, P.O. Box 156, Lagos 100218, Nigeria
Emmanuel Olusegun Oyewo: Department of Biological Oceanography, Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, 3 Wilmot Point Road, P.O. Box 12729, Lagos 106104, Nigeria
Jason L. Blum: Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, New York University, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10012, USA
Ariana Schanzer: Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, New York University, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10012, USA
Isaac Wirgin: Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, New York University, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10012, USA
Gabriella Y. Meltzer: Department of Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
Nirmal K. Roy: Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, New York University, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10012, USA
Judith T. Zelikoff: Department of Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, New York University, 341 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10012, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 18, 1-16

Abstract: Although there is rising global concern over the environmental, ecological, and human health risks associated with the discharge of leachates from e-waste dumpsites into the aquatic ecosystems, little is known in this research area. Thus, for this study, we first defined the chemistry of the test leachate, followed by assessment of the leachate on the development of a model aquatic organism ( Fundulus heteroclitus ) used extensively as a bioassay organism in pollution studies. Chemical analyses revealed that levels of phosphate (20.03 mg/L), cadmium (Cd) (0.4 mg/L), lead (Pb) (0.2 mg/L), and chromium (Cr) (0.4 mg/L) were higher than the 2009 US EPA and the 2009 National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) permissible limits. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) burdens were dominated mainly by the high molecular weight congeners, specifically the ∑4rings (73 µg/L). Total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) levels ranged from 0.00 to 0.40 µg/L with the ∑deca PCBs reaching the highest concentration. For the biological studies, F. heteroclitus embryos (48-h post-fertilization) were divided randomly into groups and exposed to one of six e-waste leachate concentrations (10, 1, 0.1, 0.01, 0.001, 0.0001%). Significant differences ( p ≤ 0.05) between treated and control groups were observed in standard and total length, and head size. Further analysis using Duncan’s post-hoc test of multiple comparison also revealed specific differences within and between specific treatment groups. We conclude that e-waste leachate arising from indiscriminate dumping into aquatic ecosystems in Nigeria contains mixtures of toxic constituents that can threaten ecosystem and public health.

Keywords: e-waste; leachate; Fundulus heteroclitus; aquatic ecosystem; dumpsite (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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