E-waste management

E-waste  constituents and it's effect on health

"E-waste" is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life. "E-wastes are considered dangerous, as certain components of some electronic products contain materials that are hazardous, depending on their condition and density. The hazardous content of these materials pose a threat to human health and environment. Discarded computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, fax machines, electric lamps, cell phones, audio equipment and batteries if improperly disposed can leach lead and other substances into soil and groundwater. Many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled in an environmentally sound manner so that they are less harmful to the ecosystem.

                                     

1. The nation now dumps between 300 million and 400 million electronic items per year, and less than 20% of that e-waste is recycled.
2. E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste. The extreme amount of lead in electronics alone causes damage in the central and peripheral nervous systems, the blood and the kidneys.
3. Because computer processing power doubles roughly every two years, many old computers are being abandoned. Only 15% recycle their computers, which means the other 85% end up in landfills.
4. It’s energy efficient to rebuild old computers, but only about 2% of PCs ever find their way to a second user.
5. About 50 millions cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, and only 10% are recycled. If we recycled just a million cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.
6. Flat panel computer monitors and notebooks often contain small amounts of mercury in the bulbs used to light them.
7. Cathode ray tubes in older TVs and computers typically contain about 4 lbs of lead and sometimes as much as 7 lbs.
8. The European Union banned e-waste from landfills in the 1990s, and current laws hold manufacturers responsible for e-waste disposal.
9. Large amounts of e-waste have been sent to countries such as China, India and Kenya, where lower environmental standards and working conditions make processing e-waste more profitable. Around 80 % of the e-waste in the U.S. is exported to Asia.
10. E-waste legislation in the United States is currently stalled at the state level. Just 24 states have passed or proposed take-back laws. However, as of January 1, 2011, covered electronics are completely banned in West Virginia.
11. Electronic items that are considered to be hazardous include, but are not limited to:
• Televisions and computer monitors that contain cathode ray tubes
• LCD desktop monitors
• Laptop computers with LCD displays
• LCD televisions
• Plasma televisions
• portable DVD players with LCD screens                           

 Effects of E-Waste constituent on health

Source of e-wastes	Constituent	Health effects
Solder in printed circuit boards, glass panels and gaskets in computer monitors	Lead (PB)	Damage to central and peripheral nervous systems, blood systems and kidney damage. Affects brain development of children.
Chip resistors and semiconductors	Cadmium (CD)	Toxic irreversible effects on human health. Accumulates in kidney and liver. Causes neural damage. Teratogenic.
Relays and switches, printed circuit boards	Mercury (Hg)	Chronic damage to the brain. Respiratory and skin disorders due to bioaccumulation in fishes.
Corrosion protection of untreated and galvanized steel plates, decorator or hardner for steel housings	Hexavalent chromium (Cr) VI	Asthmatic bronchitis. DNA damage.
Cabling and computer housing	Plastics including PVC	Burning produces dioxin. It causes Reproductive and developmental problems; Immune system damage; Interfere with regulatory hormones
Plastic housing of electronic equipments and circuit boards.	Brominated flame retardants (BFR)	Disrupts endocrine system functions
Front panel of CRTs	Barium (Ba)	Short term exposure causes: Muscle weakness; Damage to heart, liver and spleen.
Motherboard	Beryllium (Be)	Carcinogenic (lung cancer) Inhalation of fumes and dust. Causes chronic beryllium disease or beryllicosis. Skin diseases such as warts.