Purpose

In recent years, electronic waste has become the fastest growing waste stream globally with potential deleterious environmental and public health effects from its hazardous constituents. This review aims at providing an up-to-date information on the environmental and public health effects of e- wastes, and also identify research gaps that could form basis of further innovative studies on this important subject.

Methods

We carried out literature survey using several search engines. All available literature which reported directly on environmental contamination of air, soil, and water by e-wastes, and their effects on exposed plants, animals, and humans were used in other to generate an updated information.

Results

High production volume coupled with indiscriminate disposal and informal recycling has made electronic waste (e-waste) to become a global public and environmental health issue. E-waste is made up of different hazardous substances such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants with the capacity to contaminate the environment if processed or recycled inappropriately. Humans and animals become exposed to e-waste constituents via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. Several health effects have been linked to e-wastes. The most susceptible were children, pregnant women, and workers in primitive recycling sites. Generation of e-waste is predicted to increase drastically in the next decade with the potential complex interactive effects of its constituents.

Conclusion

This review is an up-to-date assessment of studies and reports on e-waste environmental contamination and public health effects. The review has shown that e-waste contains constituents that caused adverse environmental effects and toxicity to the biota. However, there is an enormous data gap between exposure quantification and possible health effects. More studies are needed to elucidate and provide holistic information on environmental and public health dangers posed by e-waste constituents.

中文翻译：

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电子废物的环境污染和公共卫生影响：概述

目的

近年来，电子废物已成为全球增长最快的废物流，其有害成分可能对环境和公共健康造成有害影响。本综述旨在提供有关电子废物对环境和公共健康影响的最新信息，并确定可作为对这一重要主题进行进一步创新研究的基础的研究空白。

方法

我们使用多个搜索引擎进行了文献调查。所有直接报道电子废物对空气、土壤和水的环境污染及其对暴露植物、动物和人类的影响的现有文献都被用于生成更新信息。

结果

高产量加上不分青红皂白的处置和非正式回收，使电子废物（电子废物）成为全球公共和环境健康问题。电子垃圾由不同的有害物质组成，如重金属和持久性有机污染物，如果处理或回收不当，可能会污染环境。人类和动物通过摄入、吸入和皮肤接触接触到电子废物成分。一些健康影响与电子废物有关。最容易受到影响的是儿童、孕妇和原始回收点的工人。预计电子垃圾的产生将在未来十年内急剧增加，其成分可能会产生复杂的相互作用。

结论

该审查是对电子废物环境污染和公共卫生影响的研究和报告的最新评估。审查表明，电子废物含有对环境造成不利影响和对生物群产生毒性的成分。然而，暴露量化与可能的健康影响之间存在巨大的数据差距。需要更多的研究来阐明和提供有关电子废物成分造成的环境和公共健康危害的整体信息。