Material composition and associated toxicological impact assessment of mobile phones

Abstract

Dynamic progress in technology coupled with various restrictions has brought about extensive changes in the material composition in various components of a mobile phone as a product. This research focuses on assessing whether the mobile phone industry has taken into account the environmental impacts of their products while making rapid technological progress. Three components each, namely liquid crystal display (LCD), plastic housing (PH), and printed circuit board (PCB) of twenty-six end-of-life mobile phones (EoL-MPs) comprising six basic phones manufactured during 2000–2004 and twenty smartphones manufactured during 2005–2016 were characterized for twenty-six elements including heavy and precious metals. Leaching potential and toxicological impact were also assessed using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and the USEtox® model, respectively. Results revealed that technological advancement rather than the regulations showed a significant influence on the total metal content in the EoL-MPs and associated toxicological impacts. Metal content in the LCDs was found to be almost tripled from an average of 4270 mg/kg in the basic phones (2000–2004) to 12,803 mg/kg in the smartphones (2011–2016). Few EoL-MPs were also found to possess hazard potential due to the high concentration of Pb (range: 7.21–84.38 mg/l) in the TCLP leachates. Cr, Pb, and Cu were found to pose the most significant human carcinogenic (highest: 1.83 × 10−5 cases/kg), human non-carcinogenic (highest: 8.34 × 10−5 cases/kg), and ecotoxicity (highest: 171275 PAF. m3.day/kg) risk, respectively. Results from the study could be useful for the eco-design of mobile phones and the development of effective e-waste management strategies.