Soil and Water Pollution by Mercury from Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Abstract

At the end of their life, waste electrical and electronic equipment, WEEE or D3E for short, presages a problem on the environment. In fact, WEEE contains heavy metals or trace metal elements including mercury. However, if mercury is poorly managed in many African cities, it is dangerous for the environment and health. Two theories were chosen for this study: the theory of the stain of Marie Douglas and the theory of the habitus of Pierre Bourdieu. To compare results, samples of soil and water contaminated in gutters were taken from the front of repair shops in some areas of the city of N’Djamena in Chad; control samples outside the workshops. The results of the analyses obtained show that, unlike the control sites, the soils and waters of the sites studied at the shop fronts are contaminated because of their mercury content (10 to 11 μg/l for soils and 1.1 to 2.2 μg/l for waters) is much higher than normal (1 μg/l) for soils and slightly higher for waters. As the current mode of management of WEEE in some African cities is informal and exposes the environment to an obvious risk of pollution, this work will allow stakeholders to better reflect on an appropriate management solution.