Socio-economic assessment and feasibility study on - Ã–ko-Institut eV

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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
<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 August 2010 properties (Legler & Brouwer 2003) <strong>and</strong> anomalies in the immune system (Birnbaum & Staskal 2004). Further, incineration of PBDE containing or PVC coated cables <strong>and</strong> wires, could produce dioxins <strong>and</strong> furans (PCCD/Fs) (Gullet et al. 2007; Hedman et al. 2005). Brigden et al. (2008) measured 359 pg/g of toxicity equivalent value (TEQ) for PCCDs <strong>and</strong> 629 pg/g TEQ for PCCFs in the sediment samples of the lagoon adjacent to Agbogbloshie. The background levels of PCCD/Fs in soils <strong>and</strong> sediment have not yet been defined in Ghana so far, but the above mentioned PCCD/Fs values indicate extremely high contamination. Photo 6 E-waste adjacent to the lagoon at Agbogbloshie, Accra (Source: Öko-Institut 2010) Commonly, in unpolluted or lightly polluted areas, including urban <strong>and</strong> industrial soils in other countries, the values are below 1 pg/g TEQ <strong>and</strong> rarely above 10 pg/g TEQ (Zhu et al. 2008). According to a recent survey done by EMPA, the total annual dioxin emissions from cable incineration in Greater Accra region were estimated to be about 5 g (EMPA 2010). Compared to the European dioxin air emission inventory for 2005 (EU15 + Norway + Switzerl<strong>and</strong>) this equals to 0.25%–0.5% of total dioxin emissions, 2.5%–5% of dioxin 37
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Socio-economic assessment and feasibility study on - Ã–ko-Institut eV

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