The Environmental Impact of Electronic Waste
In todays high paced modern world, technology is moving faster and faster and boosting
the speed of our everyday lives. Every eight months there is a new model of some type of
technological device reaching the market and the old is being discarded as it is unable to
keep up with our fast paced society. Where have the millions of old, unwanted computers
and other electronics gone? Many have suspected, that relatively few old PCs are being
recycled and that most are stored in warehouses, basements, and closets or have met there
end in municipal landfills or incinerators. In recent years a great deal of attention has been
devoted to the environmental impact of computers and other electronic equipment as these
items pose a massive problem for municipal landfills and hazardous effects to human life.
Users manuals can be a pain to read, nevertheless are pretty handy, they cover most of
everything we need to know about newly purchased equipment. What is not covered in the
users manual are the toxic chemicals and heavy metals that go into computers and other
electronic devices, nor the waste computer-manufacturing generates. Of the approximately
one thousand different substances included in a typical PC, every computer contains five
to eight pounds of lead. Exposure to lead and other toxic ingredients, such as mercury,
cadmium, brominated flame retardants, and some plastics, may stun brain development,
disrupt hormone functions, cause cancer, or affect reproduction (Slone, 2000).
Manufacturers combine lead; the leading toxic material found in electronic equipment,
with tin to form solder, which is used in the production of circuit boards found inside
electronic products. Lead is highly toxic and can harm children and developing fetuses,
even at low levels of exposure. Brominated flame retardants, used in circuit boards and
plastic casing, do not break down easily and build up in the environment. Long term
exposure can lead to impaired learning and memory functions. They have also been known
to interfere with thyroid and estrogen hormone systems and exposure in the womb has
been linked to behavioral problems. Rechargeable batteries, contacts and switches found in
computers and other electrical devices may contain lead, mercury and cadmium.
Consequently, these toxins can bioaccumulate in the environment, particularly within the
food chain, which is the major route of exposure. This route of exposure is known to be a
possible health risk, primarily affecting the kidneys and bones. A Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
