A global issue posing human health and environmental threats E-waste A global issue posing human health and environmental threats

Defining E-waste Waste electrical and electronic equipment Any electronic equipment that has been discarded or is at the end of its life-cycle televisions computers cell phones kitchen appliances

The Problem Electronic waste constantly being dumped by developed countries on developing countries, causing health and environmental effects Developing countries lack: Strict government legislation regarding e-waste Extended producer responsibility Safe e-waste management Developed countries lack: consumer awareness the will to comply with international treaties

E-waste Trade Recyclers from U.S. send shipments to China, West Africa, India Middlemen smuggle, distribute e-waste Small recycle businesses in “e-waste villages” Disassembled, harvest valuable parts

E-Waste Trade E-waste from corporate consumers and households enters a city specific informal e-waste recycling system. Collection and allocation of e-waste done by middlemen and scrap dealers. Includes acceptable processes such as dismantling and sorting but also very harmful processes such as burning and leaching in order to extract metals from electronic equipment. E-waste from corporate consumers and households enters a city specific informal e-waste recycling system. Collection and allocation of e-waste is done by middlemen, scrap dealers. The informal recycling system includes acceptable processes such as dismantling and sorting but also very harmful processes such as burning and leaching in order to extract metals from electronic equipment.

E-waste Disassembly Manual dismantling Metal recovery: Gold Silver Copper Sell secondary raw metals to smelting plants Non-valuable scraps to: Scrap plies Open burn site Incineration plant

Metal Recovery from Cables

"We saw people using e-waste to fill in swamps…whenever the piles got too high, they would torch them," (Schmitd)

Chemical Exposure When these are burned, dioxin and PCB’s are released Most common elements in electronics are Lead, Cadmium, Phosphorous When these are burned, dioxin and PCB’s are released The workers, wearing no protective gear, inhale, ingest, directly contact these toxins, receiving chronic exposure to these persistent organic pollutants

Health Effects Chronic low level exposure to dioxin leads to impaired: Endocrine system Reproductive system Immune system Cancer Hormone disruption Acute high-level exposure results in: Skin lesions Liver damage Chronic exposure to dioxin leads to impaired function of the endocrine, reproductive, and immune systems as well as increased risk of cancer and hormone disruption. Acute high-level exposure of dioxin, on the other hand, may cause skin lesions as well as altered liver function

Guiyu, China e-waste recycling village in southern china Guiyu receives …tons of e-waste each year In Guiyu, pregnancies are six times more likely to end in miscarriages Seven out of ten children have higher than acceptable concentrations of lead in their blood

Environmental Effects Trace metals in e-waste contaminate the environment by leaching into groundwater and soilsediment, disrupting ecosystems. Guiyu, China: Scientists from the University of Hong Kong sampled sediment from Lianjiang River to quantify trace metal composition and pH level. Results: in addition to being oxygen-depleted, soil had an acidic pH of 6.3 and contained significant amounts of persistent organic pollutants

POP’s in the Environment: Indirect human exposure Resist natural decay, accumulate in the environment, store in animal body fat Contaminated rivers=contaminated fish People exposed to POP’s through secondary exposure via fish consumption Contaminated irrigation=contaminated food crops

Solutions Implement stricter laws, increased pressure on countries that do not abide ”Extended producer responsibilities” manufacturer's responsibilities for a product are extended to the products final treatment and disposal Raise awareness among consumers

References EMPA. Swiss e-waste. http://india.ewasteguide.info/Initial Wong, Coby S.C. Trace metal contamination of sediments in an e-waste processing village in China. Environmental Pollution. Volume 145, issue 2. January 2007. Pg 434-432. Hodgson, Ernest and Patricia E Levi. "A Textbook of Modern Toxicology". Second Edition. 1997. Stamford, Connecticut. Pg 240-241. World Health Organization. "Dioxins and their Effects on Human Health". November 2007. Colborn, Theo, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Meyers. Our Stolen Future. March, 1997, Penguin Group: New York. EMPA. Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research. E-waster: Swiss e-waste guide. Retrieved November 2008 from http://ewasteguide.info/biblio?page=1 Osibanjo, O. and Nnorom, I.C. "The challenge of e-waste management in developing countries". Sage Publications. Waste Management Research 2007; 25; 489. Schmitd, Charles. Unfair trade e-waste in Africa. Environmental Health Perspectives. V. 114: 4, pg 32-35. April 2006. Pelley, Scott. CBS Interactive Inc. 60 Minutes. "The electronic wasteland". November 9, 2008.