Health risk assessment of oral exposure to PCBs among residents in an e-waste dismantling area

Objective To investigate the potential health hazards of oral exposure to polychorinated biphenyls(PCBs)among residents living in an e-waste dismantling area.Methods Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of oral exposure to PCBs among local residents living in an area heavily industrialized with e-waste dismantling and in a control area(about 300 km far from the study area and mainly with farming and ecotourism)in Zhejiang province were evaluated using the human health risk assessment model adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency(US EPA).Results The PCBs levels in water, rice, cabbage, eggs and crucian carp in the e-waste dismantling area were significantly higher than those in the control area.The results of health risk assessment showed that non-carcinogenic risks of oral exposure to PCBs for adult males, adult females, and children in the dismantling area were 2.53×10^-6, 3.04×10^-6, and 2.14×10^-6, respectively, which exceeded the acceptable level(1×10^-6)defined by US EPA.Carcinogenic risks of oral exposure to PCBs for adult males, adult females, and children were 4.34×10^-5, 5.20×10^-5, and 9.72×10^-6 in the dismantling area and 4.45×10^-6, 4.61×10^-6, and 1.37×10^-6 in the control area.Conclusion PCBs emitted from e-waste dismantling has resulted in local environmental pollution, as well as the potential health hazards among local residents.