Nick Ling & Danica Hill. I Publish Aleesha Floyd, Modified 8 months ago

E-WASTENick Ling & Danica Hill

I <3 gadgets

When was the last time you bought a new computer, or a new cell phone?

What happens to the old one?

http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/green-ideas/recycle-your-cell-phone-and-donate-to-charity-041574

http://www.slipperybrick.com/2008/01/star-trek-gadgets/

So, what’s e-waste? E-waste is a term

used for the recycling of electronic products such as computers, cellphones, televisions, VCRs , stereos, copiers, fax machines, and other electronic 

products that are no longer in use.

http://deleket.deviantart.com/art/iPod-Generations-Icons-47813530?moodonly=1

Where does it go?

Developed countries don’t have the capacity to deal with the e-waste So what do we do?

Send it to a third world country.

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/where-does-e-waste-end-up

Why send it away?

Expensive and difficult to process Laws in the US and worker safety Carcinogenicity of the materials

Problems? Rapid technology change Planned obsolescence

Think apple computers. Good for 3-4 years, then kaput!

Third world countries Lack of environmental laws Valuable metals in the electronics

How much is discarded?

Disposed of in US (2007)

205 million computer products

27 million televisions 140 million cell phones

Typical E-Waste Breakdown

http://www.rubbermonkey.org/rothmobot/recycling.htm

What is the current problem?

This is the threat

http://artsyspot.com/e-waste-in-guiyu/

Who’s playing the game? Stakeholders Consumers (gadget buyers) Countries exporting to developing

countries Workers Producers/ manufacturers Countries with properly established

recycling facilities People living next to the facilities

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

…1

http://blog.archenemy.org/2006/10/15/proceed-with-caution-cognitive-hazard-ahead/

What’s the threat?

Aluminum, plastics, PCBs, zinc, flame retardants in plastics.

Toxic metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium These materials can leak out into soil, water, and

the atmosphere Soil, water are needed for crops People need air. (fresh)

Materials can lead to cancer, neurological and respiratory disorders , and potentially, birth defects.

Dust is generated in the mechanical and manual dismantling process

Inhaled into the system

Unsafe practices

Landfills Incineration Open Burning Reuse Recycling

Landfills

One of the most popular ways of waste disposal This is problematic due to the materials reaching

ground and water sources and contaminating them. Also a problem for developing nations who live in close proximity to landfills

Releases hazardous emissions such as Mercury, lead and cadmium. Also hazardous PCBs are released.

Landfills are prone to vaporization of toxix chemicals as well as uncontrolled that may spark.

Incineration

Very hazard due to the toxic fumes that are release and then inhales causing respiratory problems as well as skin problems

Copper which is used in circuit boards and cables acts as a catalyst for dioxin formation when flame retardants are incinerated

PVC also found in e-waste can be corrosive when burnt and lead to the formation of dioxins as well.

Leads to loss of useable elements that could have been sorted and recover properly

Open Burning

Releases more pulluntants that in a controlled incineration

When pollutants are inhaled it can cause asthma attacks, respiratory infections. Other smaller problems such as coughing, wheezing, chest pain and eye irritation

Open fires lack oxygen that then forms CO2 and when inhaled poisons the blood.

Inhalation of ash poses a problem as well.

Reuse, Recycling

Reuse This is common for developing countries

because they are inexpensive, however 25-75% of electronics are obsolete

Recycling Mostly done in developing countries due

to low recycling costs Obtaining the raw materials from

electronics can be profitable, however due to the hands on recycling, a worker’s health is at risk.

Who is at risk?

3rd worlders the workers

All ages. That includes children.

unborn babies Toxins travel

across the placenta

Aka. Mothers pass it on to the children.

http://artsyspot.com/e-waste-in-guiyu/

Case Study: Guiyu, China

One man’s trash is another man’s problem

http://greenlightforbusiness.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/c99a16ed-eda3-47ef-8863-59670dd45d1f7.jpg

Guiyu

The largest E-waste recycling site in the world since the 1990s This is where computers go to die

Population 150,000 and estimates ~ 80% of families engaged in the e-waste recycling program.

More problems? Unsafe techniques – manual electronic component

removal Open burning to reduce mass, extract precious

metals Open acid digestion to recover precious metals

Contamination

Aquatic Systems – direct dumping of acid waste into streams

Soils – PDBE saturated soil Genetic damage to plant and animal life. Lead, cadmium in rice over 4 times in excess

the maximum allowable concentrations.

Air Dioxins – air particle concentrations:

65-2765 pg / cubic meter* remember, 65 pg/m^3.

Brush that dirt off your shoulder, now.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iVw4McXZboQ/Sxg1rsbHKCI/AAAAAAAAABM/5kZGn4XQzw4/s1600-h/guiyu.jpg

PRECAUTIONARY ASSESSMENTPrecautionary Assessment Precautionary Assessment

Precautionary assessment – Community/Social issuesParameter Score

Community/Social Issues

Goal 3

Need 3

Future generations 3

Democratic community-based process

3

Alternatives 3

TOTAL 15 – not supportive of health or community

P.Ass - Exposure Issues

E=Exposure 30-none, 1-little, 2-some, 3-high. Do we have control over the exposure?

M=Multiple exposures 3

0-none, 1-little, 2-some, 3-high. Is there exposure to other chemicals with similar hazard?

Ch=Children exposed 5

0-none, 3-little, 5-some or high or don't know. Children are often more vulnerable. Are children being exposed.

CP=Consumer products 1

0-not in consumer products, 1-little, 2-some, 3- a lot or do not know. Is this compound in consumer products?

O=Occupational exposure 3

0-no occupational exposure, 1-little, 2-some, 3- a lot or do not know. Is there occupational exposure?

F=Food exposure 3

0-not in food supply, 1-little, 2-some, 3- a lot or do not know. Is the compound present in the food supply.

Total 180-no exposure, no problems20-significant exposure, serious concern

P.Ass – Hazard/Toxicity

Hazard / Toxicity   Evaluate potential hazards.

H=Hazard 10

1-low, 5-some, 10-high. Follow classical hazard evaluation, pick endpoint, exam relevant quality studies (cancer, reproductive, neurotoxicity, irreversible)

IS=Individual Sensitivity 2

1-little 2-some, 3-a lot. Determine if any individuals are more sensitive than health adult such as the very young or old.

EC=Ecological hazard 3

1-little 2-some, 3-a lot. Is it a hazard to other species or the environment?

V=Volume 5 how much is produced (1=research only, 2=<1000 lbs, 3=<10,000, 4=<100,000, 5=>100,000 or do not know)

P=Persistent 31-little persistence 2-some, 3-a lot of persistence or do not know. Is the compound presistent in the environment?

B=Bioaccumulate 3

1-little 2-some, 3-a lot. Does it bioaccumulative in humans or animals or move up the food chain?

UC=Uncertainty 2 1-little 2-some, 3-a lot. How certain is the information?

Total 287-low hazard30-significant hazards or unknowns, serious concern

Precautionary Assessment summary

Community / Social Issues - 15/15 Exposure Issues – 18/20 Hazard / Toxicity – 28/30

*precautionary assessment applies to the Guiyu, China case study.

Which one to narrow down to? There sure are a lot of different

chemicals. We will focus on the burning of

plastics, which releases toxic emissions such as:

DIOXINSO

O

Cl

Cl

Cl

ClO

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

Cl

What are dioxins

A class of hundreds of chemical contaminants Most toxic is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-

dioxin (TCDD)

Formed during combustion processes such as waste incineration, forest fires.

The most potent synthetic carcinogen ever tested in laboratory animals

Dioxin, effects

http://benblogged.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/zombie.jpg

Short term exposure Chloracne- skin lesions Hepatic toxicity- altered

liver function

Long term exposure Endocrine system Reproductive functions

Animal studies Cancer Regarded as a probable

human carcinogen, but conclusion is based off of animal studies and human epidemiological studies. Still debatable.

EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT

…2

http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/bloggraphics/0421834.jpg

Daily Tolerable intake

Dioxins.

WHO 2 pg/kg bw/day

FDA 0.03 pg/kg bw/day

EPA 0.006 pg/kg bw/day

Canada 10 pg/kg bw/day

Bw – body weight Pg – Picogram = 10^-12 grams. A nanogram is 10^-9

Routes of exposure

Dioxins

Inhalation Air borne concentrations are high 65-2765 pg / cubic meter

Dermal Dust settling

Ingestion Meat and dairy products

Beef, fish, eggs all bioaccumulate up the food chain Levels are 100,000x of the surrounding environment

Breast milk

Choosing a human study

Hard to choose Available human data not rigorous

enough for establishment of a tolerable daily intake

Dioxins never travel alone in these studies. confounding factors in exposure

assessments.

We turn to animal studies

Most sensitive endpoint – developing reproductive systems of male rat fetuses while exposed in utero. Measure effects on:

sperm production Sperm morphology

Derive a Tolerable Daily Intake from this.

How? The sperm reserve in men is much less than a rat’s.

Study findings

Faqi et al (1998) Lethality in animals: 1-5000 µg/kg Reproductive – decreased fertility,

decreased sperm count, teratogenic (birth defects)

Carcinogen – thyroid and liver tumors. Skin and liver cancer promotors

DOSE-RESPONSE ASSESSMENT

…3

How to calculate risk?

Dioxins are usually found in mixtures containing several types of dioxins. To express overall toxicity, use

“international toxicity equivalents” (TEQ) Individual dioxins are attributed their own

Toxic Equivalence Factor (TEF)

Sample Toxic Equivalent Factors (TEFs)

2,3,7,8-TCDD 1,2,37,8-PeCDD OCDD 2,3,7,8-TCDF PCB 77 (3,4,3’,4’) PCB 126 (3,4,5,3’,5’) PCB 169 (3,4,5,3’,4’,5’)

1

0.1

0.0001

0.1

0.0001

0.1

0.01

These are all types of dioxins, or dioxin-like compounds.

Sum of these allows estimation of TEQs

Considerations

Each chemical vary considerably In tissue distribution and absorption Metabolism Elimination Half-lives

In mice/rats may be only weeks In humans may be 7+ years

TCDD – 7.5 years OCDD – 120 years

In terms of risk assessment, need to take into account all of these factors.

Uncertainty factors

Divide Dose by Power of 10 Divide by

Human variability 3.2 – toxicokinetics

Interspecies extrapolation 1 – toxicodynamics

Children N/A

Subchronic to chronic extrapolation

N/A

Absence of a NOAEL 3 – use of LOAEL

Database uncertainty N/A

Thus a 9.6 = uncertainty factor

calculations

Daily intake (pg/kg/day) =

= body burden(pg/kg bw) x ln2

bioavailability x ½ life in days

= 3400 pg/kg bw x 0.693

0.5 x 2740 days (7.5years)

= 1.7 pg/kg/day

Uncertainty factor = 9.6 LOAEL = 33* ng/kg/bw Half-life in humans = 7.5

years

*LOAEL determined from Faqi et al (1998)

Many uncertainties

1. Dose-added is fundamental to the TEF model, sounds reasonable

1. But not certain that this is still applicable in complex mixtures related to human exposures and dose responses.

2. Most TEFs are derived from animal data1. are they appropriate for humans? e.g.

carcinogenicity

NOAEL, LOAEL

ATSDR: LOAEL: 120 pg/kg/day intake based on animal study. Safety factor: 90. Yields tolerable intake of 1.3 pg/kg/day. MRL set at 1 pg/kg/day. Serum lipid level associated with intake of 1 pg/kg/day

is about 10 ppt, assuming 7.5 year half-life of elimination and 60 percent absorption.

WHO JECFA: Tolerable body burden: NOAEL/safety factor. NOAEL: 16 ng/kg; Identified safety factor: 3.2 Tolerable body burden: 16/3.2 = 5 ng/kg. Corresponding serum lipid level: Assume 25% body fat: 5/0.25 =20 ppt

ECSCF: (European Commission Scientific Committee on Food) NOAEL body burden of 20 ng/kg; 3.2-fold safety factor. Tolerable body burden: 20/3.2 = 6.25 ng/kg Corresponding serum lipid level: Assume 25% body fat: 6.25/0.25=25 ppt

tolerable serum lipid level WHO (1998) level: Range of maternal body burdens associated with

LOAELs in animal studies: 28-73 ng/kg. Identified safety factor: 10. Tolerable body burden range: 28/10 to 73/10 = 2.8 to 7.3 ng/kg Corresponding serum lipid level: Assume 25%body fat: 11-29 ppt range of

tolerable serum levels http://www.dioxinfacts.org/dioxin_health/dioxin_food/dioxinTEQgraphic.pdf

Legislative mandates

No Federal mandate to recycle e-waste.

Many states have set up mandatory electronics recovery programs.

Disposal – Treated as hazardous waste

conclusion

Most people will not deal with dioxins from burning plastics. It is in food.

Don’t burn trash LOAEL – 1.3 pg/kg daily

That’s 10 parts per trillion.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION

…4

What can we do.Prevention, solutions?

Basel Convention Multilateral environmental agreement signed in 1992 by 169 countries to regulate

trade of international trade of hazardous waste.

Basel Ban Amendment adopted in 1995 outlawing the transfer of

hazardous waste from developed countries to developing counties.

However it has not yet entered into full force other than some nations such as the European Union and China

solutions: E-stewards

A group of North American qualified and certified recyclers pursuing the highest standard of environmental and social responsibility when it comes to recycling electronic products

Ensure that e-waste products will no be dumped in landfills or incinerators, exported to developing countries or sent to prison labor operations

They will be accountable for all recycling processes for all of the toxic materials

Manufacturer responsibility Have manufactures be responsible

for the recycling of their specific products, this will lead them to make longer lasting and safe products

Proper Recycling

Detoxification The removal of key components from e-waste materiasl that

help to avoid dilution of contamination of toxic substances. Examples:

Lead glass from CRT screens CFC gases from Refrigerators, light bulbs and gases

Shredding Obtaining recyclable materials as well as further separating

out the hazardous materials Also the gas emissions are filtered in this process to lower

the environmental impact Refining

The materials need to be refined and conditioned in order to be sold as secondary materials as well as being able to be properly disposed of in their final destination.

Thanks.