Biosurveillance des retardateurs de flamme organophosphorés chez les travailleurs du recyclage électronique au Québec
Electronic waste (e-waste) contains organophosphate esters (OPEs) flame retardants, which may be emitted into the workplace environment during recycling operations. However, there is a paucity of data in the scientific literature regarding occupational exposure to OPEs in e-waste recycling facilities. In this study, we aimed to measure urinary concentrations of OPE metabolites in e-waste recycling workers, and to evaluate their association with measured air OPE concentrations. Fifteen urinary OPE metabolites were measured in urine samples from 88 workers (six facilities in the province of Quebec, Canada) at the end of their work shift (on Wednesdays). On the same day, 11 OPE were measured in 8-hour personal air samples (n=88) collected in workers’ breathing zone. Spearman rank correlation and linear regressions were performed to assess the relationship between the urinary concentrations of OPE metabolites and air concentrations of their parent compound. Bis (1-chloro-2-propyl) 1-hydroxy-2-propyl phosphate (BCIPHIPP), diphenyl phosphate (DPhP), bis (1-chloro-2-propyl) carboxy 2-ethyl phosphate (BCIPCEP) and bis (2-chloroethyl) carboxymethyl phosphate (BCECMP) were detected in more than 70% of urine samples. Tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (metabolite: BCECMP), tris (2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (metabolites: BCIPCEP, BCIPHIPP) and triphenyl phosphate (metabolite: DPhP) were detected in more than 90% of air samples. The correlation coefficients between the concentrations of urinary metabolites and the concentrations of their parent compounds in air ranged from 0.28 to 0.43 (p <0.05). However, the coefficients of determination (R2) of univariate linear regression models were low (R2s: 0.05-0.12). Our data shows that workers performing e-waste recycling tasks are exposed to OPEs, but that airborne OPEs appear to contribute minimally to absorbed doses
Flame retardants Organophosphate esters (OPEs) Urinary biomarkers Electronic waste recycling Occupational exposure