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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/SWMR/09
Environmental contamination of developed and developing regions due to e-waste
recycling and disposal activities: a review

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Sidra Shakil* , Yumna Sadef , Naeem Akhtar Abbasi , Aqsa Arooj
1 College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
Correspondence: sidrashakil59@yahoo.com
Abstract: Electronic products bring revolution in every aspect of our lives. It makes our life
easier, simpler, and fastest. Either with the advent of new technology or completion of the
product life, they either go to recycling centers or landfills. Electronic products contain a
plethora of toxic chemicals that raise concerns for the authorities. One of the chemicals is
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers which belong to a class of brominated flame retardants that
are incorporated into flammable products to prevent or reduce fire hazards. These chemicals
have been used globally since the 1970s. No doubt they are responsible for saving thousands
of lives directly but it behaves like a slow poison by bioaccumulating and biomagnifying in the
food chain and responsible for causing cancer, neurological disorders, and endocrine
disruption. This paper reviews the identification and comparison of BFRs concentration in
different environmental compartments like soil, sediment, water, leachate, and air from two-
point sources i.e., recycling centers and landfills across the globe particularly focusing on e-
waste. Developed countries usually get rid of them either by putting them into landfills or
exporting them to other countries. The concentration of BFRs in landfill leachate, soil,
sediment, and nearby water bodies of developed regions vary from non-detectable to micro or
nano-gram per gram or per liter. Developing countries usually receive these products either as
second-hand goods or for recycling of precious components. E-waste recycling data from
China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Africa, and Pakistan further confirmed the contamination of
the environment within or far around the vicinity of recycling centers and landfill/dumping
sites. Penta and octa formulations usually dominate the market from the 1970s to 2005 after
that deca formulation is in use and numerous studies confirmed this pattern by presenting their
concentration in different components of the environment within or around the landfill/
dumping sites or recycling centers. Lower brominated congeners (17, 28, 47, 48, 71, 75, 76,
99, 100, 153, 154) have the potential to travel long distances due to low molecular weight and
are considered to be more persistent and toxic compared to higher congeners (BDE-183, 206,
207, 208, 209). Due to their organic nature, these compounds are usually found in soil,
sediments, and the particulate phase of air. Non-detectable to low concentration reported in
water or leachate. BDE-209 breaks down into lower congeners and creates more problems for
biota and the environment. Regional differences in BFRs concentration depict its usage pattern
in different countries of the world. Here, we also highlighted different factors affecting the
distribution of BFRs in the environment and recommend further areas for future research.

Keywords: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); Recycling centers; Dumping sites;
Landfill; E-waste.

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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