Effect of E-waste on Environment & Health

EFFECT OF E-WASTE ON ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH

EFFECT OF E-WASTE ON ENVIRONMENT

What is E-waste

• E-waste or electronic waste is a term used for those electronic equipment that has reached its end of life in the hand of its current user

electrical and electronic devices is the fastest-growing sector

20 to 50 million tonnes e-waste are generated world-wide

It contain toxic material such as mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium etc.

Introduction

What happens with it ...

• device are storage, re-use and recycling,

• Export to developing country as a charity or illegally

• Reused in developing countries

E-waste recycling sites in Asia

E-waste type & E-waste composition

D i d y o u k n o w . . . ?

• People discard computers every two to four years on average

• Cell phones have a life-cycle of less than two years 20% lead by weight.

• 36 chemical elements

• 500 million obsolete computer & 130 million cell phone discarded in USA

• 20-50 million tonnes E-waste

Landfill-disposal

• materials that are placed within it.

• In landfills a certain amount of chemical and metal leaching will occur

• PBDE and the cadmium may leach into the soil and groundwater.

Disposal methods

• landfills or incinerators

• in 2000 more than 4.6 million tonnes of e-waste ended up in landfills nationally

• certain amount of chemical and metal leakage will occur

• The vaporization of mercury in Uncontrolled fires causes health and environmental risks

Incineration

• The vaporization of E-waste create risk.

• Incinerated ash contain hazardous components.

• Disposed in a mono fill or landfill.

• Ash transporter exposed to health risk.

• In 1997,133 pounds of mercury releases to the air

E-toxic component in computer-junk

• computer circuit boards containing heavy metals like lead & cadmium

• computer batteries containing cadmium• cathode ray tubes with lead oxide & barium• Brominated flame-retardants used on printed circuit

boards, cables and plastic casing.• Poly Vinyl Chloride 12(PVC) coated copper cables and

plastic computer casings that release highly toxic dioxins & furans when burnt to recover valuable metals

• mercury switches• mercury in flat screens• Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl’s (PCB’s) present in older

capacitors & transformers

E-waste and its effect on health and the environment

Nickel (Ni) • skin damages and asthma , lung damages,

carcinogen• Enter environment through air.

Antimony (Sb)• eye and skin irritation, hair loss, lung and

heart damages, and fertility problems. • This element is better absorbed in soils

containing steel, magnesium or aluminum.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)

• Cause anemia, damages to the skin, liver, stomach and thyroid

• Contamination of pregnant women is very risky .

• Drip & contaminate water.

• Contaminate the chain of production of some foods.

Tetra Bromo Bisphenol-A (TBBPA) mutations or carcinogen effects.

• toxic to aquatic organisms.

• damages to the endocrine.

Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)

• damage kidneys, liver and thyroids.

• passing along the food chain.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)

Thyroxin, damaging the endocrine system, thyroid damages

Chlirofluorocarbons (CFC)Destroy the ozone layer,

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC

Damages animal kidney.

Soluble in water

Arsenic

carcinogen, Skin & lung cancer

Barium

Gastrointestinal disorder & muscle weakness change in heart beat rate paralysis ,death ,eye& skin irritation

Accumulate in aquatic organism

Beryllium Inhalation cause pneumonia

respiratory inflammation, lung cancer

Not dissolve in water

Cadmium

Lung damage & death ,kidney damage, carcinogenic

Absorbed by plants

Lead If incinerated it transmitted to air & soil Anorexia, muscle pain & headache, weakness,

brain damage, & even death. Effect reproductive system.

If incinerated it transmitted to air & soil

Mercury More accessible in organic form Lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, Eye & skin irritation, Damages to brain, kidneysEtc.More accessible in organic form

Responsibility

• Easily recyclable

• Use required electronic devices

• Use it to its complete life period.