Socio-economic assessment and feasibility study on - Öko-Institut eV

36
August 2010
<strong>Socio</strong>-<strong>economic</strong> <strong>assessment</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>feasibility</strong> <strong>study</strong>
on sustainable e-waste management in Ghana
Photo 5 Recovery of lead at the Agbogbloshie Metal Scrap Yard, Accra (Source: Öko-Institut 2010)
The concentration of lead in the soil <strong>and</strong> ash samples collected in Agbogbloshie <strong>and</strong>
Koforidua were found to be as high as 5,510 mg/kg dry weight. Although lead concentrations
in Agbogbloshie <strong>and</strong> Koforidua are lower than those measured in areas of lead-acid recycling
activities in Senegal, they clearly exceed the limits set for residential <strong>and</strong> industrial areas. For
instance, French recommendations for lead limits are set at 400 mg/kg <strong>and</strong> 2000 mg/kg for
residential <strong>and</strong> industrial areas respectively (Laperche et al. 2004). Exposure to lead dust or
fumes leads to the underdevelopment of brain in children, hence causing intellectual
impairment (Haefliger et al. 2009; Brigden et al. 2008). Apart from that, lead is known to
cause a wide range of disorders, such as “damage to the nervous system <strong>and</strong> blood system,
impacts on the kidneys <strong>and</strong> on reproduction” (Brigden et al. 2008).
Similarly, negative health impacts of flame retardants, such as PBDEs, could also occur, not
only through direct exposure, but also through food contamination (Harrad et al. 2004). For
example, in China high levels of PBDEs have been reported in the blood of local residents
around e-waste recycling activities (Bi et al. 2007). PBDEs have been known to cause
abnormal brain development in animals (Eriksson et al. 2002), endocrine disruptive