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Research Journal of Environmental Toxicology

Year: 2012 | Volume: 6 | Issue: 2 | Page No.: 59-64
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Authors

O.C. Eneh

C.H. Mba

Keywords

Research Article

An Appraisal of the Environmental Health Significance of Crude Beryllium Oxide-extract from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

O.C. Eneh and C.H. Mba
Increasing integration of information communications technology is responsible for rapid generation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in developing countries. WEEE contains beryllium oxide (BeO) with environmental health significance that can be measured through its acute toxicity. This study aimed to determine the acute toxicity of BeO-extract from interface materials of WEEE. Dil. HCl and diethyl ether tests confirmed the presence of BeO in the extract. Single linear regression of mortality against dose was done. Results showed that the extract contained BeO. There was a perfect correlation between the log dose of crude BeO-extract and %mortality of rats. The relationship between them was significant at 0.01, with 0.99 degree of confidence. The R2 (0.885) and significant F (0.017) showed high reliability. The high LD50 (1,600 mg kg-1) showed that the environmental health significance of the emission of BeO from WEEE materials may be too little for concern. Sensitizing the people on disposal of WEEE from homes, offices and workshops, proper sanitation practices and policy-making and implementation were recommended.
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