The Electronic Afterlife. E-wasteland. Slavoj Zizek in Examined Life. Phone Story - Android/iPhone game by Molleindustria. E-waste: How green is your Apple? E-Waste: A Global Time Bomb. Where does e-waste end up? E waste china recycling factory - China Daily. E-Waste Hell. FRONTLINE/World Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground. EWASTED. Where does e-waste end up? According to the US EPA, more than 4.6 million tonnes of e-waste ended up in US landfills in 2000.
Toxic chemicals in electronics products can leach into the land over time or are released into the atmosphere, impacting nearby communities and the environment. In many European countries, regulations have been introduced to prevent electronic waste being dumped in landfills due to its hazardous content. However, the practice still continues in many countries.
In Hong Kong for example, it is estimated that 10-20 percent of discarded computers go to landfill. This releases heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury into the air and ashes. Reuse A good way to increase a product's lifespan. Recycle Although recycling can be a good way to reuse the raw materials in a product, the hazardous chemicals in e-waste mean that electronics can harm workers in the recycling yards, as well as their neighbouring communities and environment. Export How did the trade evolve? Electronic Waste (E-Waste) - Toxipedia. The below, addressed to American consumers, is borrowed from Toxipedia's friends at the Basel Action Network.
"There is an ugly underbelly of economic globalization that few wish to talk about. Under the guise of simply utilizing the "competitive advantage" of cheap labor markets in poorer areas of the world, a disproportionate burden of toxic waste, dangerous products, and polluting technologies are currently being exported from rich industrialized countries to poorer developing countries. In effect, rather than being helped to leap-frog over dirty development cycles directly toward clean production methods, developing countries are instead being asked to perpetuate some of the world's most toxic industries and products and are even asked to become the global dumping ground for much of the world's toxic wastes. California and most other states allow the export of hazardous waste. The problems begin when the parts of those electronics begin to decompose. Featured Articles.
E-waste chemicals change workers DNA. Context More than 50 million metric tons of E-waste (old and outdated electronics, such as computers, cell phones and fax machines) is produced worldwide each year.
Experts speculate this number will rapidly increase well into the future. Currently the vast majority of this waste is sent to developing countries, such as SE China. There, workers manually dismantle the equipment to reclaim the copper and other prized materials found in the products. Much of the E-waste is crudely processed, often by open burning, which releases a range of highly toxic contaminants (e.g. dioxins, insulators (PCBs), fire retardants (BDEs), heavy metals) into the environment. The so-called persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, make up a large part of the chemical residue from E-waste recycling.
DNA damage is one common effect when POPs interact with cells. Researchers collected hair samples from workers before they started their shift. What does it mean? E-waste and its disposal are major world problems. Children on the frontlines: the e-waste epidemic in Africa. A boy pushing a shopping cart load of wires going for burning in the Agbogbloshie ghetto in Accra, Ghana.
Photo by: Kwei Quartey. In Agbogbloshie, a slum outside the capital city of Accra, Ghana, tons of electronic waste lies smoldering in toxic piles. Children make their way through this dangerous environment, desperate to strip even a few ounces of copper, aluminum, brass, and zinc from worn-out electronics originating from the United States and Europe.
"The smell alone will drive all but the most desperate away, but many are so desperate they persevere despite the obvious dangers. It is a very tough thing to witness," explains Dr.