THE EFFECTS OF ELECTRONIC WASTE BY: ANVITA GUPTA 7-1

SO HOW DOES E-WASTE EFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT? Electronic waste causes hazardous chemicals and gases, to be emitted into the atmosphere. These chemicals can cause disease, pollute, etc…..

HOW DO “I” WASTE? You may not know it, but any time you buy a new device and throw out the old one, you are “E-Wasting”. If you don’t properly dispose of your device, it’ll be shipped to any old landfill, where it will then be crushed or burned releasing all the harmful chemicals in the batteries and wires.

The electronics in dumps have been piling up over the years, and electronics aren’t being sent to proper E-Waste disposal sites. This takes up a HUGE amount of area, pollutes our water AND our land, and kills innocent families. The Electronic waste is incredibly harmful to the environment.

STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND?

You throw out your old device…. It gets shipped off to China, where it is then dumped in a landfill. It is crushed and burned, to the point where any remaining gases are emitted into the air… The chemicals and gases harm the environment, and also kill human kind by giving them disease from these toxins…. Throughout the course of your life, you keep buying new devices and the cycle repeats. Here’s a diagram to help you understand more easily……..

E-Waste Component Process Used Potential Environmental Hazard Cathode ray tubes (used in TVs, computer monitors, ATM, video cameras, and more) Breaking and removal of yoke, then dumping Lead, barium and other heavy metals leaching into the ground water and release of toxic phosphor Printed circuit board (image behind table - a thin plate on which chips and other electronic components are placed) De-soldering and removal of computer chips; open burning and acid baths to remove final metals after chips are removed. Air emissions as well as discharge into rivers of glass dust, tin, lead, brominated dioxin, beryllium cadmium, and mercury Chips and other gold plated components Chemical stripping using nitric and hydrochloric acid and burning of chips Hydrocarbons, heavy metals, brominated substances discharged directly into rivers acidifying fish and flora. Tin and lead contamination of surface and groundwater. Air emissions of brominated dioxins, heavy metals and hydrocarbons Plastics from printers, keyboards, monitors, etc. Shredding and low temp melting to be reused Emissions of brominated dioxins, heavy metals and hydrocarbons Computer wires Open burning and stripping to remove copper Hydrocarbon ashes released into air, water and soil.

So to sum up what you just learned….. (And probably even more!)…….. Let’s watch a video!

THE END!!!! THANKS FOR WATCHING!!!