Electronic waste: toxic metals infiltrate our bones, according to a study

Toxic metals released during the production of technologies such as batteries, smartphones, solar panels and wind turbines could seep into our bones.

That’s the warning from experts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who have studied lead pollution in the remains of 130 people buried in a cemetery in central Rome.

The burial place under the Palazzo della Cancelleria was in use around 12,000 years ago – before the advent of metal production – until the 17th century.

The team found that as global lead production increased over time, so did the uptake rates of lead into the bodies of those buried in the cemetery.

Lead is breathed in by the atmosphere, the researchers explained, which means the pollution has affected even those not involved in the production of the toxic metal.

The results – in tandem with the growing demand for toxic metals like lead for various technologies – raise far-reaching public health concerns.

Historically, lead production boomed 2,500 years ago with the minting of coins, a rise that peaked in Roman times before declining in the Middle Ages.

Production increased again 1,000 years ago, driven by silver mining in Germany, then in the New World and finally to meet the demands of the industrial revolution.

The study builds on previous work which has shown that lead production rates are also documented in environmental records such as lake sediments and glaciers.

The study was undertaken by geochemist Yigal Erel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his colleagues.

“This literature on lead pollution throughout human history indicates that, remarkably, much of the estimated dynamics of lead production is replicated in human exposure,” explained Professor Erel.

“So lead pollution in humans has closely tracked their levels of lead production. Simply put: the more lead we produce, the more likely people are to absorb it into their bodies. It has a highly toxic effect.

In total, Professor Erel and his colleagues analyzed bone fragments from 130 people buried in the cemetery.

The team was able to calculate the level of lead pollution in each individual by analyzing the composition of their bones.

They found that this recorded pollution was closely related to estimated historical rates of global lead production.

“The close relationship between lead production and lead levels in humans in the past suggests that without proper regulation we will continue to experience the adverse health effects of contamination with toxic metals,” said Professor Erel.

Those most at risk of lead poisoning are those most exposed to the toxic metal, including miners and workers in recycling facilities.

However, lead can also be found in various forms of electronic equipment, from batteries to the latest generation solar panels.

By disposal and deterioration, these objects can release their toxicity into the atmosphere we breathe and the soil in which we grow our crops.

“Any expanded use of metals must go hand in hand with industrial hygiene, ideally safe recycling of metals and increased consideration of the environment and toxicology in the selection of metals for industrial use,” concluded the professor. Erel.

The full results of the study were published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.