Multivariate and statistical approaches for the evaluation of heavy metals pollution at e-waste dumping sites

Abstract

Electronic waste pollution is a growing concern due to its hazardous effects on the environment and human health. Among many contaminants from e-waste, excessive levels of heavy metals in soil, which are far beyond the permissible limit, have led to many research studies at e-waste dumping sites majorly in the developing nations like India and China. The present study was conducted to assess the effect of e-waste dumping on the soil profile; therefore, the soil quality was analyzed for various physicochemical and heavy metals characteristics. The concentration of heavy metals in the soil samples was determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. Soil samples were found to contain a higher amount of different heavy metals like copper, zinc, nickel, lead, manganese, chromium, cadmium, and iron. Correlation and principal component analysis were performed to establish a better insight into the degradation of soil quality. The contamination factor and pollution load index were evaluated statistically to assess the heavy metal pollution. The significant difference among the soil quality parameters inferred the hazardous impact of e-waste on the soil profile, and the pollution load index indicated that the sites are highly polluted with heavy metals. The present study contributes to a deeper understanding of the heavy metal contamination at e-waste dumping sites.