Legacy and Currently Used Organic Contaminants in Human Hair and Hand Wipes of Female E-Waste Dismantling Workers and Workplace Dust in South China

Legacy organic contaminants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and several currently used organic contaminants, such as novel brominated retardants (NBFRs), organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), and Dechlorane Plus (DPs), were measured in the segmented hair and hand wipes of e-waste dismantling workers and in the dust from their workplace in an e-waste recycling site in South China to assess the accumulation and sources of organic contaminants in the hair shaft. The median concentrations of DPs, PBDEs, NBFRs, PCBs and OPFRs in hair samples were 23.5, 154, 156, 349, and 371 ng/g, respectively. A linear increase in organic contaminant concentrations was found along the hair shaft, with significant differences among each segment, while the age-related patterns were similar among the 7 hair segments. A linear relationship was found between the accumulation rates and the log KOW, indicating that the accumulation rates of organic contaminants along the hair...