Table 10.
Concentrations of the 16 USEPA Identified Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil and Sediment Samples from E-waste Processing Areas in China Compared with this Study
| Location | Type of Soil or Sediment | Range | Mean | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| μg/kg dry weight | ||||
| Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria | Topsoil (0–15cm) of e-waste dumpsite (n = 20) | 1,756–2,224 | This study | |
| Subsoil (15–30 cm) of e-waste dumpsite (n = 20) | 1,664–2,152 | |||
| Control (0–15 cm; 15–30 cm) (n = 5) | 278 | |||
| Guiyu, Guangdong Province, | Surface soil (0–10 cm) of a burnt plastic dump site (n = 3) | 428 | 34 | |
| Surface soil (0–10 cm) near an open burning site (n = 8) | 851 | 30 | ||
| Surface soil (0–10 cm) of an open burning site (n = 5) | 2,065 | |||
| Surface soil (0–10 cm) of an open burning site (n = 5) | 1,066 | 67 | ||
| Surface soil (0–10 cm) of an open burning site (n = 5) | 899.9 | |||
| Surface soil (0–10 cm) of an open burning site (n = 5) | 2,777 | |||
| Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China | Surface soil (0–20 cm) of large recycling plants (n = 5) | 128.8–6,687.2 | 68 | |
| Surface soils (0–20 cm) of small recycling workshops (n = 3) | 135.3–228.8 | |||
| Surface soils (0–20 cm) of control sites (n = 3) | 5.2–29.4 | |||
| Local agricultural surface soil (0–20 cm) from an e-waste recycling facility (n = 10) | 330–20,000 | 69 | ||
| Topsoil (0–30 cm) of large-scale e-waste recycling plants in Wenling (n = 14) | 488.0–764.0 | 19 | ||
| Topsoil (0–30 cm) of large-scale gold recycling plants in Wenling (n = 5) | 371.8–850.7 | |||
| Topsoil (0–30 cm) of household e-waste recycling workshops in Wenling (n = 18) | 730.5–1,231.2 | |||
| Reference site (n = 1) | 0.4 | |||
| Near household e-waste recycling workshops | 809–7,880 | 70 | ||
| Near industrial parks | 2,820–3,020 | |||
| Qingyuan, Guangdong Province, China | Road soils mixed with deposited dust near dismantling workshops (n = 29) | 190.8–9,156.0 | 2,689.1 | 71 |