Occupational Exposure to Flame Retardants among Canadian E-Waste Dismantlers

Background: The mass of e-waste produced globally is growing dramatically. Workers dismantling and recycling e-waste are exposed to many hazards, including flame retardants (FRs), that are added to electronics to meet flammability standards. Environmental exposure to FRs is ubiquitous and has been associated with adverse health effects including endocrine disruption (thyroid hormone dysregulation), neurological impairments and reproductive effects. This study reports on occupational FR exposure in an Ontario, Canada e-waste dismantling facility.Methods: Sampling was conducted daily over a total of five days in February 2017 in Ontario, Canada. Twenty active air samples were collected at 4 workbenches. Ten active air samples were collected over 24 hours at a central workplace location. Seven floor and 8 workbench dust samples were also collected. Samples were analysed for novel brominated flame retardants (NFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs), using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS).Results: The most abundant FRs in air were the now-banned PBDEs, dominated by BDE-209 with an average concentration at the workbenches of 175 versus 108 ng/ m3 at the central location (p<0.05). Air levels of BDE-209 were almost 5 times higher than in an earlier study in Sweden (Sjodin et al, 2001). The next most abundant compounds were TDCPP and TCCP, two OPEs. Levels of FRs in air and dust did not differ between floor and workbench. In dust, BDE-209 was the most abundant compound, followed by TPHP and TDCPP.Conclusions: Levels of FRs in air and dust collected from this Canadian e-waste recycling facility indicate that e-waste dismantlers in Ontario, Canada have inhalation exposure to FRs. Skin exposure and ingestion through hand-mouth contact are also potential routes of exposure. Though there is evidence of FR toxicity, there are no occupational limits in Canada which is a significant gap given the potential for elevated exposure.