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Have you ever wondered whatever happens to your old analog cellphone which was the size of a hotdog bun which you consigned to the waste bin? Or your boxy white PC monitor which ran on Windows 95 and had a dot-matrix type of printer as its  trusted companion? Or how about your banged-up VHS player with its chunky push buttons?

You might not know it, but your now-derelict mobile device could have ended up in some mainland city in China, where it joins some 20 million other discarded cellular devices. As for your computer parts, they could now be sitting in some recycling yard in Kenya, where enterprising individuals dismember it for copper and other precious metals which could be resold for a good profit.

As Western societies are becoming more and more technology-driven in the 21^st century, more and more people are constantly upgrading and replacing their PDAs, computers, GPS devices, cellphones, iPods and other electronic devices with more advanced models. The result: the disturbing emergence of electronic waste. Commonly known as e-waste or IT waste, which is now becoming a major part of solid waste material in many advanced countries.

And now for the scary part: e-waste has extremely high toxic levels.

Achim Steiner, chief of the  chief of the United Nations Environment Program, says that the increasing levels of e-waste “represents a major challenge to the international community in terms of human health and the environment,” at a recent conference on waste management in Indonesia.

But first, some basics. Your now-hideous-looking Nokia 1999 model does not necessarily end up in the gutter a few blocks away from your home. Instead, the high-tech trash is gathered together and shipped to several Asian  and African countries where the various parts are retrieved, recycled and resold. Why export trash? Because, as the The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assesses, it is a lot, lot cheaper to ship out e-waste than to dump it at home.

Along with the shipment comes a deadly assortment of hazardous toxins such as arsenic, lead, mercury, barium, beryllium, cadmium, and selenium. When the wastes are dumped in landfills, the toxins then eventually contaminate the immediate environment. For instance, at a dumpsite in China, they can seep into groundwater utilized by adjacent farmland. Now when a farmer irrigates his field from a nearby well…

Some alarming facts:

l        A circuit board can contain levels of lead, with low-level exposure leading to brain impairment, and arsenic, a known carcinogen that can increase the risk of various cancers.

l        The rechargeable batteries you threw away is filled with cadmium. Passive inhalation can result in lung cancer to humans, while poisoning can occur in fish and edible plants.

l        That innocent-looking and dusty motherboard emits beryllium dust, which can lead to a painful scarring of the lung tissue and other respiratory problems.

l        And that early-version flatscreen monitor is loaded with mercury, which is not just a good poisoning material in many crime shows, but also in real life, where symptoms include sensory impairment, numbness, and muscle weakness.

To understand the gravity of the problem, imagine a long, long train with its boxcars piled up with electronic goods. If you fill the train with up to approximately 30 million tonnes-which is the estimated quantity of e-waste yearly-that train could encircle the entire planet! And to make things worse, the train keeps getting longer and longer because recipient countries continue to accept e-waste for economic reasons: it sustains jobs and puts in additional revenue.

What can be done about this advancing onslaught of environmental genocide? At the Indonesian conference, delegates from 170 countries are reviewing the 1992 Basel Convention on waste management, a landmark international treaty which sought to restrict the flow of electronic waste among various nations. The participants are expected to come up with a strongly-worded declaration that seeks to curtail the impact of e-waste on human development.

Fortunately, consumer awareness about e-waste is also growing. As people become more and more aware of technology’s underside, many individuals and groups are now demanding for “green” technology–and Big Business is starting to do its part. According to a 2008 Greenpeace report, Asian giants Samsung, Toshiba and Toyota are constantly upgrading their products by developing more non-toxic materials. But it’s a long way to go for others: the report states that companies such as Microsoft (surprised?) and Phillips are at the bottom of the list.

Now, before you dispose of  your cumbersome box TV with antenna sitting at a corner of the garage, open your PC, surf the Microsoft website and look for any contact information. Once you get the email address, please start writing, “Dear Mr. Gates…”

 

© Sciencetips 2008