Pollution of plastic debris and halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) in soil from an abandoned e-waste recycling site: Do plastics contribute to (HFRs) in soil?

Highlights: • High levels of plastics were detected in soil from an abandoned e-waste site. • Main color, shape, and type of plastics in soil were blue/black, particle, and ABS. • Soil and plastics were separated and analyzed for HFRs. • BDE 209 was the main chemical in all soil and plastic fractions. • Plastics contributed little to HFR levels in soil and human exposure values of HFRs. Electronic waste (e-waste) recycling site may be a "hotspot" for pollution of plastic debris, which has not been well studied. Eighteen halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) were measured in plastics and soil separated from twenty soil samples, respectively, from an abandoned e-waste recycling site. Abundances and concentrations of plastic debris ranged from 600 to 14,200 particles/kg and 0.24–153 mg/g, respectively, which were at the high end in literature. Blue, black, and red were main plastic colors, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) was the main type of plastics. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) 209 was the main chemical, with median concentrations of 6.22–40.6 μg/g in soil and 28.1–47.2 μg/g in plastics, respectively. Contributions of HFRs in plastics were less than 10% in total HFR masses in bulk soil samples. Exposure values to HFRs from plastics via soil ingestion and dermal contact with soil were generally two orders of magnitude lower than those from soil. The results indicate that plastics in soil have little contribution to total HFR burden in soil and human exposure risks to HFRs in this study. However, ecological risks of plastics to terrestrial wildlife in e-waste sites should be paid attention.