E-Waste Crisis: Health Risks and Global Recycling Solutions

Introduction

Most of the world's electronic trash — especially old computers — is dumped in developing countries, resulting in severe environmental problems and illnesses among residents. A news agency report declares that about 80 percent of the world's electronic trash is imported to Asia every year, and about 90 percent of that ends up in China (Chandran, 2002). The large amount of electronic waste dumped in Chinese cities has created serious health hazards for residents living across those areas.

Although Chinese authorities have identified Guangdong's towns of Guiyu, Longtang, and Dali, among other areas, as the country's major collection and distribution centers for electronic trash, these locations have become significant health hazards. The health problems arise primarily through cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and any device that may contain them. CRTs contain lead and other chemicals that leach from landfills into groundwater, and pollutants are released into the air during burning.

Background: The Scale of the E-Waste Problem

Recently, the European Union drafted laws requiring computer producers to account for the retrieval of used computers when estimating production costs. However, many computer manufacturers oppose this because it is widely seen as increasing the costs of computers and monitors for consumers. The central issue, therefore, revolves around how best to manage the waste disposal problem without significantly raising the cost of electronic equipment for consumers.

One of the oft-cited virtues of the Information Age is that, by eliminating paper and streamlining the delivery of goods and services, it will ultimately prove friendly to the environment. But this notion is difficult to reconcile with the reality of unwanted hardware piling up in basements and in developing countries. As a relatively new industry, computer manufacturing should develop a new kind of corporate model — one that takes the inevitability of obsolescence into account and anticipates recycling needs. Chandran (2002) notes that electronic waste, especially computer monitors and circuit boards, is creating serious health risks for residents of developing countries. Many cash-poor countries are permitting wealthier nations to dump their e-trash on their land in exchange for small payments from computer and electronics manufacturers.

According to recent estimates, between 50 and 80 percent of the e-trash collected for recycling in developed countries ends up in China, India, and Pakistan. Most of this electronic trash contains toxic ingredients such as lead, mercury, and cadmium that create both occupational and environmental health threats. Reports indicate that e-waste — including household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners, cellular phones, computer monitors, and computers — is growing at a rate of 3 to 5 percent each year due to rapid technological advancement (Chandran, 2002). The primary health problems stem from lead, cadmium, and other chemicals embedded in CRTs and circuit boards, which can cause kidney, blood, and reproductive system disorders.

Health and Environmental Hazards

An international coalition of environmental groups has accused computer makers, along with the United States government, of using Asian nations as dumping grounds for hazardous electronic waste. These groups report that 100,000 poor and migrant workers dismantle and process obsolete computers imported chiefly from North America. The operations include the burning of plastics, metals, and components such as circuit boards, along with the dumping of cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors (Berger, 2004). These operations involve men, women, and children working under primitive conditions, often unaware of the health and environmental hazards involved.

For example, workers in Guiyu use rudimentary tools to extract primary elements from scrapped components: computer circuit boards, lead- and tin-based solder for resale, aluminum from printer parts, and copper-heavy yokes from cathode ray tubes. In the end, a significant portion of imported e-waste material and process residues is not recycled at all, but is simply dumped in open fields, along riverbanks, in ponds and wetlands, in rivers, and in irrigation ditches. Recycling operations often involve young children as well. Hazardous activities include open burning of plastics and wires, riverbank acid processing to extract gold, the melting and burning of soldered circuit boards, and the cracking and dumping of lead-laden cathode ray tubes.

A report described certain areas of Guiyu dedicated to dismantling printers, where toner cartridges were recycled manually (Markoff, 2002). Sediment and water samples taken in the area indicated the presence of high levels of heavy metals of the kind found in computers and other electronic components (Markoff, 2002).

Conclusion

Although economies of scale will play a significant role in managing these costs, the success of computer recycling will ultimately depend, as with many environmental policy challenges, on individual behavior and commitment.

We believe that the United States should take this issue seriously. To date, it has not taken an active role in prohibiting electronics manufacturers from dumping their waste in developing countries, as the European Union has. Perhaps the best model for U.S. recycling legislation can be found in Europe: the EU directive prohibits the dumping of not just computers and related devices, but also video games, digital cameras, refrigerators, washing machines, toasters, and hair dryers. The United States would do well to adopt a similarly comprehensive legislative framework to address the growing e-waste crisis and protect the health of vulnerable communities worldwide.