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What happens to all this High Tech Trash? Or as it is now known, E-Waste.

According to an article in Nat Geo, in the US the estimate is that 70-80% of Computers, Monitors and TV’s end up in the landfill every year. According to the the EPA 30-40 million PC’s will be ready for the dumpster in each of the next few years, and 98 million US Cell Phones were discarded out in 2005 and the trend will probably continue.

The main problem with this is not that we are running out of room in our landfills but that these products carry “Not Healthy ” amounts of Heavy Metals such as: Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, and Beryllium, and when they end up in the ground, they leech into the ground water, then back to us through the drinking water or our food.

Makes you wonder why Cancer has become the epidemic it is…

The following is a list of the long term effects of exposure to these metals:

• ARSENIC: Long term exposure to arsenic and its compounds can cause cancer. Inhalation can result in lung cancer. If swallowed, cancer is likely to develop in the bladder, kidneys, liver, and lungs. In large doses, arsenic and its compounds can cause death.
• CADMIUM: The effects of extensive cadmium exposure is not known, but are thought to include heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure, and cancer.
• LEAD: The lead in a person’s body can build up. This kind of lead poisoning can lead to nerve damage and problems with the gastrointestinal system (stomach and intestines). Over a long period of time, these children often suffer brain damage.
• MERCURY: Problems can include inflammation of the mouth and gums; loosening of the teeth; damage to the kidneys and muscles; shaking of the arms and legs; and depression, nervousness, and personality changes.
• BERYLLIUM: Chronic effects include diseases of the respiratory system (throat and lungs), such as bronchitis and lung cancer.

RECYCLE YOUR ELECTRONICS:

• There’s an easy way to recycle we just need to get on board. Collect your no longer used electronics, and make a drop off every six months. Make it a recycling project with friends or the whole neighborhood.
• The Consumer Electronics Assoc. created, mygreenelectronics.co to help you find a recycling resource in your area. It also provides a list of Eco-friendly electronics.

When you find the company that takes care of E-Waste in your area, ask them what they do with it. Taking it to a Recycler doesn’t guaranty that they will safely dispose of the E-Waste. Often times they sell the lots to E-waste Exporters that send the waste to developing countries where the labor is cheaper and the laws on disposal are not as strict. But that’s for another story. Make sure your Recycler is a responsible Recycler, if you’re not sure take it somewhere else.

electronics environment ewaste high tech trash recycle
January 25th, 2008 at 10:12 am by bibi in Environment, Go Green, Green Living, Innovation, Recycle

bibi