Occurrence of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers in wild insects from a former e-waste recycling site in the Guangdong province, South China

Due to the fast growth of the electronic industry, a large quantity of electronic waste (e-waste) is generated worldwide and then often inappropriately dismantled and disposed of. In a pilot study, the occurrence of organophosphorus flame retardants and plasticizers (PFRs) was investigated for the first time in several wild insect species collected from a former e-waste recycling site in the Guangdong province, South China. TEHP was the most abundant PFR (average concentration of 5.8 ng/g ww), followed by TPHP (2.5 ng/g ww), TCIPP (2.2 ng/g ww), TCEP (0.8 ng/gww), EHDPHP and TCP (both 0.1 ng/gww). Dragonfly nymphswere the most contaminated insects, with total PFR concentrations of 68 ng/gww, followed bymoth adults (26 ng/gww) and terrestrial stinkbug (17 ng/g ww). The different contamination patterns observed in the analyzed insects could be explained by their different habitats and feeding habits. This study shows that e-waste recycling areas can be an important local source of contamination with PFRs, mainly caused by inadequate recycling activities. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.