Aromatic amine antioxidants (AAs) and p-phenylenediamines-quinones (PPD-Qs) in e-waste recycling industry park: Occupational exposure and liver X receptors (LXRs) disruption potential

• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108609
• Publication Date: 2024-04-01T15:42:12Z
• Authors: Shaohan Zhang; Zhipeng Cheng; Yuhao Cao; Feixiang He; Leicheng Zhao; Mujtaba Baqar; Hongkai Zhu; Tao Zhang; Hongwen Sun
• Keywords: China; Liver X receptors (LXRs) disruption potential; Quinones; Dust and hand wipes; Dust; Occupational exposure; 01 natural sciences; Electronic Waste; Antioxidants; Environmental sciences; Aromatic amine antioxidants (AAs); Occupational Exposure; Humans; GE1-350; Recycling; Amines; P-phenylenediamines-quinones (PPD-Qs); 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Recently, evidence of aromatic amine antioxidants (AAs) existence in the dust of the electronic waste (e-waste) dismantling area has been exposed. However, there are limited studies investigating occupational exposure and toxicity associated with AAs and their transformation products (p-phenylenediamines-quinones, i.e., PPD-Qs). In this study, 115 dust and 42 hand wipe samples collected from an e-waste recycling industrial park in central China were analyzed for 19 AAs and 6 PPD-Qs. Notably, the median concentration of ∑6PPD-Qs (1,110 ng/g and 1,970 ng/m2) was significantly higher (p < 0.05, Mann-Whitney U test) than that of ∑6PPDs (147 ng/g and 34.0 ng/m2) in dust and hand wipes. Among the detected analytes, 4-phenylaminodiphenylamine quinone (DPPD-Q) (median: 781 ng/g) and 1,4-Bis(2-naphthylamino) benzene quinone (DNPD-Q) (median: 156 ng/g), were particularly prominent, which were first detected in the e-waste dismantling area. Occupational exposure assessments and nuclear receptor interference ability, conducted through estimated daily intake (EDI) and molecular docking analysis, respectively, indicated significant occupational exposure to PPD-Qs and suggested prioritized Liver X receptors (LXRs) disruption potential of PPDs and PPD-Qs. The study provides the first evidence of considerable levels of AAs and PPD-Qs in the e-waste-related hand wipe samples and underscores the importance of assessing occupational exposure and associated toxicity effects.