Benjamin Estabillo, Ian Hernandez, Jessica Ho, Omar Kawam, Caroline Kranefuss, Connor Marti, Charlton Lu, Elizabeth Menten, Alexa Ramlall, Lauren von Berg, Tiffany Yang Team Leader: Dr. Ryan Hinrichs Assistant: Kelsie Kolb

E-Waste is a Growing Issue Worldwide ● 50% of waste shipped to developing countries ● Creates human health and environmental concerns due to heavy metal contamination ● Lack of environmental justice

Developing Countries use Crude Recycling Techniques ●Open Air Burning ●Lack of Safety Precautions ●Unlined Dumpsites ●Acid Baths

Improper Recycling Processes Lead to Heavy Metal Contamination ● Leaching- The percolation of a substance through a medium Water Air Soil

Metals Leach into Aqueous Solutions ● Metals dissociate in aqueous solutions ● Ionic metal species are more soluble ● Redox reactions cause metals to dissolve Concrete Corrosion [Internet] [cited 2015 July 30] Available from:

Our Study Determines the Extent of Heavy Metal Leaching ● Components placed in various aqueous solutions o DI water Drinking Water o TCLP Acid Landfill Water o Hydrometallurgical Byproduct Acid Wash

Microwave Digestion Determines which Heavy Metals are Present ● Concentrated acid combined with high heat dissolves samples ● Resulting solution is then processed in the ICP-OES top kek

ICP-OES Used to Analyze Heavy Metal Concentrations ● Preparation of standards for ICP-OES Analysis ● Calibration curves used to determine concentrations

Heavy Metal Concentrations in Samples

Heavy Metal Concentrations in DI Water

EPA No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) Reference Dose Drinking Water Standards Calculating Risk: Standards and Levels are Set

EPA No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) Reference Dose Drinking Water Standards Calculating Risk: Standards and Levels are Set

EPA No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) Reference Dose Drinking Water Standards Maximum Contaminant Levels Calculating Risk: Standards and Levels are Set

Toxicity as Compared to EPA Standards

Toxicity as Compared to EPA Standards: Deionized Water

Lead Concentrations Higher than EPA Standards

Excess Lead Causes Dangerous Health Effects ● Leaching into Drinking water o 82% of children in Guiyu, China have lead poisoning ● Causes many adverse health effects o Cancer, nerve damage, vision impairment o Disrupts brain development in children Fu J et al. High levels of heavy metals in rice (Oryza sativa L.) from a typical e-waste recycling area in southeast China and its potential risk to human health. 2006; [Internet] [cited 2015 July 28] Available from:

Arsenic Concentrations Higher than EPA standards

Health and Environmental Effects of Arsenic ● Environmental Effects: o Disrupts reproduction and photosynthesis

Open Air Burning Simulations Not Found to Increase Leachability ● The RAM chip of a laptop was burned ● The concentrations of heavy metals that leached out in DI water were then calculated o The concentrations were smaller than the non-burnt RAM ElementArsenic Barium Nickel Normal Chip Burnt Chip

Effects of Pond Water on Leaching ● The CPU of a laptop was submerged in pond water for 48 hours. ElementPond Water (ppm) De-ionized Water (ppm) AsBDL Ba CdBDL CuBDL Ni BDL Pb SrBDL ZnBDL

E-waste will Continue to Pose a Threat Unless Current Policies are Changed ● Heavy metal leaching is a substantial hazard ● It will continue to threaten human and environmental health if recycling methods are not improved ● What will the future bring? o Environmental cleanup o Legislative revision o Environmentally safe recycling methods

Acknowledgements Dr. Ryan Hinrichs Kelsie Kolb Dr. Adam Cassano Dr. Steve Surace Board of Overseers, The New Jersey Governor’s School in the Sciences Drew University Our sponsors: AT&T, Bayer Healthcare, Independent College Fund of NJ, The Overdeck Family Foundation, NJGSS Alumnae, Parents, and Corporate Matching Funds, The State of NJ Thank you for your generous support throughout this process!