Electronic-waste (or e-waste) is a collective name for trashed electronic items like PCs, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, printers, computer accessories, fax machines, batteries, TVs, refrigerators etc.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
E-waste is discussed in this Blog in three parts - Part 1 (this Post) introduces the problem of e-waste, a global problem of formidable proportions and then discusses the problem as it applies specifically to India. Part 2 discusses available solutions to solve the e-waste problem. Finally, Part 3 is an in-depth analysis for academics and those interested in fine details - factors responsible for the alarming growth of e-waste, its chemical composition, relative proportions of the various substances it contains, breakdown of a typical PC by its constituents, products obtained from recycling etc.
It is a mountain of a problem to safely dispose off e-waste using conventional waste disposal methods such as by landfills & incinerators as e-waste contains several harmful & toxic substances that would harm humans and the environment in a lethal, crippling or irreversible manner if not safely extracted and recycled prior to disposal. Safe e-waste disposal requires specialized mechanical/ chemical processing steps before being rendered harmless. Hence the need for huge & sustained e-waste recycling effort all over India.
How does e-Waste harm us?
The major toxic components of e-waste are:
LEAD
(i) Severely affects central and peripheral nervous systems (one extreme hazard being impairment of brain development in children)
(ii) Adversely affects blood, kidneys and the endocrine (or hormone) system
(ii) After crossing a threshold limit of concentration in the environment, has acute and chronic toxic effects on plants, animals and micro-organisms
(ii) Adversely affects blood, kidneys and the endocrine (or hormone) system
(ii) After crossing a threshold limit of concentration in the environment, has acute and chronic toxic effects on plants, animals and micro-organisms
CADMIUM
(i) Cancer of lung and prostate
(ii) Kidney damage as cadmium accumulates in the kidneys and acts first on it
(ii) Kidney damage as cadmium accumulates in the kidneys and acts first on it
MERCURY
Brain Damage in humans (in the case of developing fetuses causes mental retardation, incoordination, blindness, seizures, inability to speak etc.). (Mercury enters humans through the food chain, particularly via contaminated fish. This happens when the mercury contained in e-waste dumped into oceans/ rivers/lakes is consumed by fish and other aquatic micro-organisms)
HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM
(i) Allergic conditions even if consumed in small quantities e.g. asthmatic bronchitis
(ii) Damages the reproductive system in males
(iii) May cause DNA damage
(ii) Damages the reproductive system in males
(iii) May cause DNA damage
PLASTICS
Burning of plastics generates highly toxic dioxins and furans (exact hazards have not yet been publicly made known)
&
POLY-BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS
(a.k.a. PBDEs or Poly-brominated Diphenylethers):
(i) Endocrine system disruption - particularly reduces levels of thyroxin, an essential hormone needed to regulate the normal development of all animal species, including humans
(ii) Other neuro-toxic effects in infants and the young of animals
(*) - If you wish to get complete details about toxic effects of the above substances, read the "Note" at the end of this Post.
An evil associated with e-waste in India
There
is another serious evil that has resulted from e-waste in India -
huge numbers of children involved in risk-prone, unsafe recycling of
e-waste.
In the absence of safe e-waste reycling facilities developed on the lines of tried and proven factory models (like SteP, described Part 2 of this Post), considerably large quantities of e-waste recycling is carried out informally by little-educated, dubious scrap dealers, who seek to recover precious metals (primarily gold) that are present in small quantities in e-waste. They use crude and unsophisticated methods that include little or no safety precautions in doing so - crushing/ breaking monitors, computer cases etc. with hammers, open-air incineration, acid stripping, carrying of parts containing hazardous substances (like Printed Circuit Boards or PCBs) with bare hands from one place to another etc.
Quite sadly, large numbers of children are employed as child labourers in such recycling activities. When they begin to work (i.e. as fresh hands), relatively small problems like headache, nausea, vomitting, pain in the eyes etc. are usually observed leading to the mistaken conclusion that health risks involved are "trivial". One needs to strip off this rather superficial conclusion since prolonged exposure is known to lead to lethal/ devastating effects on kidney, liver and the neurological system.
According to a joint report released by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) & Frost and Sullivan earlier on in 2016, there are about 5,00,000 (5 lakh) children in India who work on such unsafe recycling activities. They are continuously at risk to the above-mentioned, serious health hazards and must be freed at the soonest. This can happen only when large numbers of safe recycling facilities come up and/or the Govt bans all crude e-waste recycling activities in India.
5-6 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of e-waste was generated in India 2012. The annual increase in generation is pegged at 10%. However, the more important aspect to note is the quantum of e-waste that has piled up already, which is the cumulative total of each year's generation LESS cumulative total amounts recycled or disposed. The graph below shows the cumulative growth of e-waste in India.
Image Credit: Department of Information Technology,Govt. of India
In the absence of safe e-waste reycling facilities developed on the lines of tried and proven factory models (like SteP, described Part 2 of this Post), considerably large quantities of e-waste recycling is carried out informally by little-educated, dubious scrap dealers, who seek to recover precious metals (primarily gold) that are present in small quantities in e-waste. They use crude and unsophisticated methods that include little or no safety precautions in doing so - crushing/ breaking monitors, computer cases etc. with hammers, open-air incineration, acid stripping, carrying of parts containing hazardous substances (like Printed Circuit Boards or PCBs) with bare hands from one place to another etc.
Quite sadly, large numbers of children are employed as child labourers in such recycling activities. When they begin to work (i.e. as fresh hands), relatively small problems like headache, nausea, vomitting, pain in the eyes etc. are usually observed leading to the mistaken conclusion that health risks involved are "trivial". One needs to strip off this rather superficial conclusion since prolonged exposure is known to lead to lethal/ devastating effects on kidney, liver and the neurological system.
According to a joint report released by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) & Frost and Sullivan earlier on in 2016, there are about 5,00,000 (5 lakh) children in India who work on such unsafe recycling activities. They are continuously at risk to the above-mentioned, serious health hazards and must be freed at the soonest. This can happen only when large numbers of safe recycling facilities come up and/or the Govt bans all crude e-waste recycling activities in India.
How much of e-Waste is there in India?
5-6 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of e-waste was generated in India 2012. The annual increase in generation is pegged at 10%. However, the more important aspect to note is the quantum of e-waste that has piled up already, which is the cumulative total of each year's generation LESS cumulative total amounts recycled or disposed. The graph below shows the cumulative growth of e-waste in India.
Image Credit: Department of Information Technology,Govt. of India
(*) NOTE: For reliable and detailed information on the hazardous effects of any of the above substances, the reader may visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) website and navigate to the name of the substance you want to know more about via the A-Z index provided.
For example, to read about hazards arising from Lead, click on 'L' (for names starting with L) and then select 'Lead' from the sub-menu that gets displayed.
For example, to read about hazards arising from Lead, click on 'L' (for names starting with L) and then select 'Lead' from the sub-menu that gets displayed.
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