Health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons via fish consumption in Haimen bay (China), downstream of an e-waste recycling site (Guiyu)

Guiyu, China has been one of the largest e-waste recycling sites of the world for more than 20 years. Abundant data show that local dwellers there suffered from severe health risks from e-waste contaminants. In this study, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were used as candidates to test the contamination levels and their possible adverse effects on residents in Haimen Bay, the estuary of Lian River (less than 30 km from Guiyu), which has been totally neglected. The concentrations of 16 PAHs were determined in collected marine fish with a median ΣPAH concentration of 1478 ng/g (wet weight), and the contamination may be mainly influenced by Lian River runoff, specifically from Guiyu. The lifetime excess cancer risk for local dwellers was much higher than the serious risk level (10−4). More seriously, outflows of PAHs from the e-waste recycling site (Guiyu) seemed to exert health risks of a much larger scale of population downstream.