POTENTIAL TOXICITY OF IMPROPERLY DISCARDED EXHAUSTED PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS

Low tech photovoltaic panels (PVPs) installed in the early ‘80s are now coming to the end of their life cycle and this raises the problem of their proper disposal. As panels contain potentially toxic elements, unconventional, complex and costly procedures are required to avoid environmental health risks and in countries where environmental awareness and economic resources are limited this may be especially problematic. This work was designed to investigate potential risks from improper disposal of these panels. An exhausted panel was broken into pieces, placed in water for 30 days and the resulting solutions were analyzed to determine chemical release and the potential toxicity of the solutions in established test protocols. These tests included end point seed germination (on Cucumis sativus and Lens culinaris) and effects on early development in three larval models: two crustaceans, Daphnia magna and Artemia salina, and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Our results show that the panels release small amounts of electrolytes (Na, Ca and Mg) into solution along with antimony and manganese and nickel at potentially toxic concentrations. Developmental defects are seen in the plant and animal test organisms after experimental exposure to the solutions leached from the broken panel.