E-Waste

March 12th, 2010  Ashish Saklecha

Experts said exposure to toxic chemicals from e-waste – including lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium and polybrominated biphenyls – can damage the brain and nervous system, affect the kidneys and liver, and cause birth defects.

The report was launched in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali. It used data from 11 developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation from discarded computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, cameras, music players, refrigerators, toys, televisions and other items.

China produces an estimated 2.3 million tons of e-waste annually, and though the country has banned e-waste imports, it remains a major dumping ground for waste from developed countries, the report said.

The UN research predicts that in South Africa and China, e-waste from old computers may jump by 200 to 400 per cent from 2007 levels and by 500 per cent in India.

E-waste from mobile phones in the same period is forecast to rise seven times in China, and 18 times in India.

According to the report, over 1 billion mobile phones were sold in 2007 worldwide, up from 896 million in 2006.

The report said most e-waste in China was improperly handled, with much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold. Jim Pucket of the Basel Action Network, a non-governmental organization fighting the international trade in toxic wastes, said massive amounts of discarded devices had been exported to China for years.

Full Article Link: http://edutail.com/buzz/e-waste-from-around-the-world/526?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+edutail+%28Indian+Education+Blog%29

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