2. WASTE NOT, WANT NOT! (WN) 2 INSTITUTE Environmental Issues of E-Waste Train-the-Trainer Workshop June 14 – 18 th, 2004 Center for Mathematics and Science Education University of Arkansas - Fayetteville Presented and Hosted by A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded institute sponsored by the University of Arkansas and the Center for Mathematics and Science Education Lynne Hehr Director, Center for Mathematics and Science Education University of Arkansas Stephan Pollard Doctoral Student, Environmental Dynamics Ph.D. Program University of Arkansas

3. ELECTRONIC WASTE (E-Waste) Problems Overview Presented as part of WASTE NOT, WANT NOT (WN) 2: Environmental Issues of Waste Disposal Stephan Pollard Environmental Dynamics Program University of Arkansas June 14, 2004, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

4. ELECTRONIC WASTE (E-Waste) Problems Overview Presented as part of WASTE NOT, WANT NOT (WN) 2: Environmental Issues of Waste Disposal Stephan Pollard Environmental Dynamics Program University of Arkansas June 14, 2004, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

5. ELECTRONIC WASTE – A GROWING PHENOMENON Over 20,000,000 PCs became obsolete in the US in 1998 Between 1997 and 2007, nearly 500,000,000 PCs will become obsolete – almost two for every man, woman, and child in the United States. People and businesses store their TVs, monitors, printers, and other electronic equipment in attics, basements, and warehouses thinking they may still be valuable (Ex. Chicago Public School’s 18,000 pieces of obsolete equipment stored in 600 schools around the city) See http://www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/electronics/managing.htm, INFORM’s ‘Calling All Cell Phones,’ 2003, and http://www.wastenews.com/headlines2.html?id=1086806836 By 2005 over 100,000,000 cell phones will be retired annually! By 2005, 500,000,000 cell phones weighing over 250,000 tons will be stockpiled and awaiting disposal While end-of-life electronics currently comprise only a small amount (1 to 2 percent) of the municipal waste stream, that percentage is expected to grow dramatically in the next few years. Electronic products often contain hazardous and toxic materials that pose environmental risks if they are landfilled or incinerated.

6. 1.the volume of computers and related electronic equipment improperly disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills 2.the toxicity of both the computer manufacturing process and the computer and CRT itself as a waste product 3.the shipping of discarded computers to such countries as China, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan where children and adults pick apart the toxic innards ELECTRONIC WASTE - CONCERNS

7. ELECTRONIC versus ELECTRIC What are we talking about? ELECTRONIC ITEMS Process and display information and possess complex circuitry, circuit boards, or signal processing. Televisions Projection TV HDTV LCD TV TV/VCR Combinations Videocassette Players VCR Decks Camcorders Laserdiscs Players DVD Players TV/PC Combinations Digital Cameras OTHER Rack Audio Systems Compact Audio Systems Portable CD Players Portable Headset Audio Total CD Players Home Radios Tape Decks Amplifiers Tuners Home Theater in a Box OTHER Cordless/Corded Telephones Wireless Telephones Tel. Answering Machines Fax Machines Personal Word Processors Personal Computers Computer Printers Computer Monitors Modems/Fax Modems Appliances w/Info Displays Pagers Radar Detectors Electronic Games Calculators Digital Thermostats OTHER Video Products Audio Products Information Products

8. ELECTRONIC versus ELECTRIC What are we talking about? ELECTRIC ITEMS Use electricity to operate but do not display or process information. Power tools Blenders, Toasters, Frying Pans Coffee Makers without Timers Irons Curling Irons Major Appliances without Timers Light Bulbs Electric Space Heaters Electric Pianos and Organs Manual Thermostats Electric Toothbrushes Electric Razors Refrigerators and Freezers Central Air Conditioners OTHERS XXXXXXXXXX Mercury XXXX Lead X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Contain Hazardous Waste See http://www.nwf.org/mercury/tour.cfm for more mercury containing household items.

10. SPECIFIC DANGERS of ELECTRONIC WASTE Lead Toxic to _______________________________________________ Consumer electronics constitute 40% of lead found in landfills Main application of lead in computers - ___________________________ ____________________________________________ soldering of printed circuit boards glass panels in computer monitors (cathode ray tubes) Over the past eight years over 315 million computers became obsolete in the USA. How many pounds of lead do you think this amounts to? ___________________ 1,200,000,000 pounds! can leach & contaminate drinking water supplies nervous & reproductive systems, kidneys, & inhibits mental development of young children & fetuses Main concern - _______________________________________ See http://www.retrosystems.com/problems.htm and http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/poisonpc.htm for more detail.

11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2002/disposable_planet/waste/chinese_workshop/5.stm Single samples taken by the BAN researchers in the region tested: LEAD - 190 times the World Health Organization's safe level CHROMIUM - 1338 times the level deemed safe in the US TIN - 152 times the US threshold. Cathode ray tubes sit by river edge in Guiyu, China. Young woman about to break the gun off a cathode ray tube to get the copper wire from the yoke. CRT GLASS Contains lead oxide – classed as a hazardous waste under the International Basel Convention. Basel Convention - United Nations treaty banning the export of e-waste to developing countries. Although 41 nations have ratified the convention, the U.S. has not. Therefore, U.S. companies aren't bound by it. Photo: By Stefan Irvine

12. CRTs are PARTICULARLY PROBLEMATIC Source: Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC), 1996 Electronics Industry Environmental Roadmap, MCC Information Center, Austin, 1996. Lead Content of CRT Glass Components by Mass (MCC 1996) GlassColor CRTMonochrome CRT Panel0% - 3% Funnel24%4% Neck30% Frit70%N/A Computer monitors contain, on average, 2-5 pounds of lead Lead in frit usually tests to be hazardous waste using TCLP procedure Weak market for glass with high lead content CRTs represent ~1/3 of electronics tonnage Lead content may represent as much as 80% of toxic metals in discarded electronics When landfilled increased concentrations of heavy metals may result – lead in frit readily leaches When incinerated heavy metals become concentrated in ash limiting disposal and reuse options TV’s, have on average, 4-8 pounds of lead (depending on age and size)

13. SPECIFIC DANGERS of ELECTRONIC WASTE See http://www.retrosystems.com/problems.htm and http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/poisonpc.htm for more detail. Cadmium Can cause damage to ________________________________ Main concerns - ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Main applications of cadmium in electronic & electrical equipment - _______________________________________________________ __________________________ ___________________ Surface Mount Device (SMD) chip resistors, infrared detectors, semi- conductors, & batteries older types of cathode ray tubes Over the past eight years over 315 million computers became obsolete in the USA. How many pounds of cadmium do you think this amounts to? ________________ 2,000,000 pounds! can leach & contaminate food & drinking water supplies lungs & kidneys & harm to fragile bones used as plastic stabilizer can become airborne & absorbed through respiration

14. SPECIFIC DANGERS of ELECTRONIC WASTE Mercury Can cause damage to ___________________________________ Main concerns - ____________________________________________ Main applications of mercury in electronic & electrical equipment - _____________________________________________________________ _______ ____________ ____________________________________________________________ thermostats, position sensors, relays, circuit boards, & measuring equipment Over the past eight years over 315 million computers became obsolete in the USA. How many pounds of mercury do you think this amounts to? ______________ 400,000 pounds! can leach & contaminate food & drinking water supplies brain & kidneys & harm the developing fetus batteries mobile phones discharge lamps (flourescent lamps & other mercury vapor pressure lamps) See http://www.retrosystems.com/problems.htm and http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/poisonpc.htm for more detail.

15. DISCARDED PHONES By 2005 more than 500,000,000 cell phones weighing over 500,000,000 pounds will be stockpiled in closets and drawers and awaiting disposal When burned - pollutes air with dioxins and furans When landfilled - contaminates ground water CELL PHONES CONTAIN: antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc – persistent, bioaccumulative toxins See http://www.informinc.org/calling_cellphones.php for more detail. Thus far less than 1 percent of the millions of cell phones retired and discarded each year have been collected. Most Toxics are in: 1.Printed wiring boards 2.Liquid-crystal displays

16. SPECIFIC DANGERS of ELECTRONIC WASTE Hexavalent Chromium (Chromium VI) Can cause ________________________________________________________ Main concerns - __________________________________ ________________________________ Main applications of hexavalent chromium in electronic & electrical equipment - ___________________________________________ _________________________________ corrosion protection of untreated and galvanized steel Over the past eight years over 315 million computers became obsolete in the USA. How many pounds of chromium do you think this amounts to? ________________ 1,200,000 pounds! can leach from landfilled incinerator fly ash lung cancer, permanent eye damage, & ulcers in the nose and on skin decorative and hardener for steel housing exposure during manufacturing process See http://www.retrosystems.com/problems.htm and http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/poisonpc.htm for more detail.

17. SPECIFIC DANGERS of ELECTRONIC WASTE Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Can cause _________________________________________________________ Main concerns - ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Main applications of PVC in electronic & electrical equipment - ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ cable & wiring cover (for its fire retardant properties) The largest volume of plastics used in electronics manufacturing was PVC (at 26%). How many pounds of PVC are there in the 1,000,000,000 pounds of plastic scrap produced yearly by the electronics industry? __________________ 260,000,000 pounds! incineration produces toxic dioxins – carcinogenic! endocrine disruption, reproductive abnormalities, neurological problems, infertility, & death when incinerated fumes are inhaled older computer housings (newer computers are made with ABS plastic) burn barrels/open burning of PVC can produce large amounts of dioxins See http://www.retrosystems.com/problems.htm and http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/poisonpc.htm for more detail.

18. SPECIFIC DANGERS of ELECTRONIC WASTE See http://www.retrosystems.com/problems.htm, http://www.svtc.org/hu_health/edcs/bfrs/pbdes/BFRPres2_files/frame.htm, http://www.computertakeback.com/the_problem/bfr.cfm for more detail. Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) – Four types: PDBEs, PBB, TBBPA, HBCD May cause __________________________________________________________ Main concerns - ____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Main applications of brominated flame retardants in electronic & electrical equipment ______________________________________________ printed circuit boards, connectors, plastic covers, & cables dust containing toxic flame-retardants generated from usage of electronic and electrical equipment and the recycling and disposal of the waste is spread into the air nuero-developmental deficits, intellectual impairment, shortened lactation plastic covers of TV sets & in domestic kitchen appliances burning or heating of some brominated flame-retardants produces toxic dioxins & furans Over the past eight years over 315 million computers became obsolete in the USA. Concerning the monitors how many pounds of brominated flame-retardants do you think this amounts to? __________________ 350,000,000 pounds! What about the CPUs & wiring boards? US women have the highest breast milk concentrations of PDBE

19. 14% Aluminum What’s your Personal Computer made of? 1% Nickel 6% Lead 2% Zinc 25% Silica 23% Plastic 1% Tin 25% Iron 7% Copper <1% Chromium, Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury, Gold, Titanium, Silver, Manganese, Antimony, and Platinum Source: California’s Electronic Hazardous Waste Regulations, presented by Karl Palmer at the UC Irving: Industrial Ecology Symposium: Seminar on Electronic Design, Manufacturing, and the Environment, April 4, 2003.

20. Produces dioxins & furans from combustion of 1.Polyvinyl Chloride 2.Brominated Flame-Retardants EXTRACTING SOLDER, STEEL, & COPPER India Vietnam China WIRE and CIRCUIT BOARD BURNING