Occurrence, spatial distributions, and temporal trends of bisphenol analogues in an E-waste dismantling area: Implications for risk assessment

The environmental occurrences of bisphenol analogues (BPs) have been extensively reported, whereas their concentra-tion profile, spatial distribution, and temporal trend in e-waste dismantling area are still poorly understood. Herein, typical BPs (BPA, BPS, TBBPA, TBBPA-DHEE, and TBBPA-MHEE) were investigated in water, soil, and biological sam-ples from three representative regions (FJT, JJP, and RIB) in e-waste recycling area in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. Overall, the detection frequency of BPs in all samples was 100 %, confirming widespread presence of BPs in e-waste recycling area. Wherein, BPA was the predominant BPs in water (33.3 %) and soil samples (34.9 %), but TBBPA ac-counted for the largest proportion (41.3 %) in biological samples. In addition, the concentration of BPs in FJT was lower than that in JJP and RIB owing to the renovations on FJT by the local government in recent years, whereas the higher BPs level in RIB implied that elevated BPs contents was related to massive e-waste dismantling activities. From 2017 to 2021, a decreased trend of BPs concentration was observed in FJT, but aggravation of BPs levels in RIB was caused by the ongoing e-waste dismantling. The risk assessment revealed that the BPs in e-waste recycling area posed a low ecological and human health risk. Our finding could provide a valuable reference for the development of strict legislation systems related to e-waste management in China.

Automated summary

The study investigated the concentrations and distribution of bisphenol analogues (BPs), including BPA, BPS, TBBPA, TBBPA-DHEE, and TBBPA-MHEE, in water, soil, and biological samples from e-waste recycling areas in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. The results showed that BPs were widely present in the area, with BPA being the dominant contaminant in water and soil samples, and TBBPA in biological samples. The concentration of BPs was lower in the renovated FJT region compared to JJP and RIB, indicating the impact of e-waste dismantling activities on BPs levels. A decreasing trend of BPs concentration was observed in FJT from 2017 to 2021, while an increase was observed in RIB due to ongoing e-waste dismantling. The risk assessment indicated a low ecological and human health risk posed by BPs in the e-waste recycling area. This study provides valuable insights for the development of strict legislation on e-waste management in China.