TITLE:
Toys, Décor, and More: Evidence of Hazardous Electronic Waste Recycled into New Consumer Products
AUTHORS:
Gillian Z. Miller, Meghanne E. Tighe, Graham F. Peaslee, Karla Peña, Jeff Gearhart
KEYWORDS:
E-Waste, Recycled Plastic, Flame Retardant, Bromine, XRF
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.7 No.3,
February
26,
2016
ABSTRACT: Hazardous chemicals used in electronic and
electrical consumer products can re-enter commerce when these products are
recycled. The objectives of this study were to 1) identify the possible sources
of unexpected chemicals and elements in consumer products, including the use of
recycled E-waste plastics and 2) demonstrate bromine detection with
nondestructive spectroscopy as an indicator of brominated flame retardants
contaminating new products via recycled waste streams. More than 1500 consumer
products of diverse types purchased in 2012-2014 were examined using X-ray
fluorescence spectroscopy for correlations between bromine and other elements.
New electronic products were much more likely than new non-electronics to
contain greater than 1000 ppm bromine, consistent with intentionally added
flame retardants, while non- electronic products were more likely to contain
between 5 and 100 ppm bromine, suggesting unintentional contamination. A
typical suite of elements present in E-waste was found in a majority of plastic
products. Two product categories, vinyl floor tiles and beaded
necklaces/garlands, were explored in more detail. Specific flame retardant
chemicals in bead samples were identified by mass spectrometry and their
distribution in beads was studied using scanning electron microscopy and energy
dispersive spectroscopy. Five brominated chemicals typically used as flame
retardants, including BDE-209, were identified in 50 of 50 Mardi Gras beads analyzed.