Appraising the Heavy Metal Contamination of Surface Dust from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment ( E-Waste ) Recycling Sites in Moradabad , India

The objective of this study was to appraise the levels of heavy metals contamination within the vicinity of the Moradabad well known as Brass city. Surface dust samples were collected from various points at the e-waste burning sites and its environment. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer preceded by acid digestion was used to evaluate the concentration of the heavy metals in the samples. Heavy metals such as Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pd, Cr, Ar, and Hg which were very high than the levels for which intervention is required. The scrap weighing site, the electronic waste dismantling site and the burning site (where electrical cables are burnt to retrieve metals) recorded the highest levels of heavy metals. Index of geo accumulation which was employed to determine the level of pollution, indicating extreme pollution from all the sites. Results also indicate that children living around the scrap market face a very high risk from the ingestion of toxic metals such as Pb, Cd, Ar and Hg.