This paper examines the growing environmental and public health crisis posed by electronic waste. Beginning with the economic forces that drive planned obsolescence and the use of toxic materials in consumer electronics, the paper traces how heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium enter landfills and incinerators before leaching into soil, water tables, and the food chain. It details the long-term physiological damage these compounds cause in the human body, and argues that neither corporate goodwill nor consumer choice alone can resolve the problem. The paper concludes that proactive government legislation promoting green product development is the most viable pathway to preventing irreversible environmental harm.
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The number of devices containing an internal chip has grown exponentially since the early days of consumer electronics. These products and our associated behaviors are interwoven into the very fabric of life and culture (Kester, 1993). From state-of-the-art hospital equipment designed to save lives to musical instruments producing delight, electronics are everywhere. The toxicity and durability of these goods compounds the problem. The manufacture and disposal of electronic equipment represent a tangible and imminent danger to life as we know it.
Electronic devices are manufactured with two major impediments. The first is designed obsolescence combined with physical durability: companies profit from new models, yet replacing old ones increases waste. The second is the use of toxic chemicals in the production of many of these products (Turn Back, 2010). Environmentally friendly, recyclable materials are available but increase manufacturing costs. Consumers are not prepared to pay higher prices for their digital comforts, and companies are not prepared to absorb the additional expense (Boyd, 2010).
These two factors, driven by economics, create a deluge of waste. The resulting waste streams are outpacing the capacity of landfills and other disposal measures to handle them. Linton, Yeomans, and Yoogalingam (2002) posit that waste from television sets alone is filling landfills. This situation has led companies to ship waste to less developed countries, effectively internationalizing the problem (Mason, 2001). Some countries are literally facing the threat of being overrun by electronic waste.
The environmental impact of electronic waste is an insidious problem (Goodwin, 2010). In developed countries, most of this waste is hauled off to landfills and remains invisible to the public. However, the threat it poses is real and disturbing. The casings of most electronic products consist of an enduring combination of glass, plastic, and metal. Internal components are even more dangerous: monitors and circuit boards contain heavy metals such as lead and mercury (Linton, Yeomans, & Yoogalingam, 2002). Discarded batteries contain the carcinogen cadmium. A wide array of other hazardous chemicals — including zinc, arsenic, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) — are also present, all of which are linked to cancer and other serious illnesses.
These toxic chemicals can contaminate soil, drinking water, and air through the various processes used for disposal. Burning electronic waste in furnaces produces large quantities of carbon dioxide as well as toxic ash. The carbon dioxide contributes to the problem of excess carbon in the atmosphere. Because the combustion process does not destroy heavy metals, the resulting ash is often contaminated with them. When this ash is disposed of through dumping, the metals make contact with soil and leach into the ground.
Landfills present another avenue for environmental contamination. The problem is multifaceted, beginning with compounds that are not biodegradable. These non-biodegradable compounds will remain in the environment virtually indefinitely. Heavy metals that exist in small quantities within a single electronic device are present in exponentially greater amounts across the millions of electronic items disposed of each year. These metals come into direct contact with soil, and through the action of rain and acid rain, they dissolve into the surrounding earth, contaminating the water table. The heavy metals then move into the food chain through animals and fish, and eventually humans begin to store these metals in their bodies by consuming contaminated organisms.
"Lead, cadmium, and mercury accumulate and damage human organs"
"Government legislation can incentivize green product development"
The maintenance of the status quo is unacceptable, primarily because the consequences will be disastrous for present and future generations. Electronic waste filling landfills contains toxic compounds that, if left uncontrolled, will eventually contaminate water, soil, and air. Companies are driven by profit, and environmental concerns can affect their bottom line (Bansal & Clelland, 2004). The manufacturing sector is not solely responsible, however, as consumer demand also propels the dilemma. Securing the future requires governments to become proactive in formulating policy that moves the industry toward green components. Green products represent a necessary destination — if we fail to act, we are slowly manufacturing our own demise.
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