“E-WASTE” many people might have heard it for the first time or might have come across it but ignored it??????
Have you ever wondered if your mobile phone or computers can also be harmful if not disposed safely after it is spoilt? Electronic gadgets are meant to make our lives happier and simpler, but when they contain toxic substances, their disposal and recycling becomes a concern. Electronic gadgets have penetrated every aspect of our lives and most of us do not think about what happens to the gadget we discard or upgrade. It is estimated that 75% of electronic items are stored due to uncertainty of how to manage it. These electronic junks lie unattended in houses, offices, warehouses etc. and are normally mixed with household wastes, which are finally disposed off at landfills.
Most of the electronic goods that we are using are complex mixture of several hundred tiny components which contains significant quantities of toxic metals and chemicals. These chemicals and toxic metals are strain on human health and environment. If these are left untreated to lie around in landfills or dumps around haphazardly, they cause irreparable loss to life of the soil, water and the atmosphere and its adverse impacts on human health and ecology. The hazardous content of these materials pose an environmental and health threat. Thus proper management is necessary while disposing or recycling e-wastes.
Consequences of improper disposal of E-waste
Disposal of e-wastes is a particular problem faced in many regions across the globe. Computer and other electronic wastes that are landfilled produces contaminated leachates which eventually pollute the groundwater. Acids and sludge obtained from melting computer chips, if disposed on the ground causes acidification of soil. Burning of e-wastes can emit toxic fumes and gases, thereby polluting the surrounding air. Improperly monitored landfills can cause environmental hazards. Mercury will leach when certain electronic devices, such as circuit breakers are destroyed. The same is true for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from condensers. When brominated flame retardant plastic or cadmium containing plastics are landfilled, both polybrominated dlphenyl ethers (PBDE) and cadmium may leach into the soil and groundwater. It has been found that significant amounts of lead ion are dissolved from broken lead containing glass, such as the cone glass of cathode ray tubes, gets mixed with acid waters and are a common occurrence in landfills.
Not only does the leaching of mercury poses specific problems, the vaporization of metallic mercury and dimethylene mercury, both part of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is also of concern. In addition, uncontrolled fires may arise at landfills and this could be a frequent occurrence in many of our municipal/community waste dumping sites. When exposed to fire, metals and other chemical substances, such as the extremely toxic dioxins and furans (TCDD tetrachloro dibenzo-dioxin, PCDDs-polychlorinated dibenzo,dioxins. PBDDs-polybrominated dibenzo-dioxin and PCDFs'poly chlorinated dibenzo furans) from halogenated flame retardant products and PCB containing condensers can be emitted. The most dangerous form of burning e-waste is the open-air burning of plastics in order to recover copper and other metals.
If the electronic items are discarded with other household garbage, the toxics pose a threat to both health and vital components of the ecosystem. The discarded electronic waste contains significant quantities of toxic metals and chemicals may generate obvious adverse effects for human health such as blood systems and kidney damages, brain swelling, spleen, adversely effect brain development of children, interfere with regulatory hormones and cause skin diseases besides debilitating health conditions, including cancer, neurological and respiratory disorders, and birth defects.
The Table given below summarizes the serious health effects of certain constituents in e-wastes.
Solution
At present in Nagaland the quantity of e-waste has not become unmanageable. However, we have to take care that e-waste does not become a problem in the future. Waste prevention is perhaps more preferred to any other waste management option including recycling. Donating electronics for reuse extends the lives of valuable products and keeps them out of the waste management system for a longer time. But care should be taken while donating such items i.e. the items should be in working condition. Reuse, in addition to being an environmentally preferable alternative, also benefits society. By donating used electronics, schools, non-profit organizations, and lower-income families can afford to use equipment that they otherwise could not afford.
E-wastes should never be disposed with garbage and other household wastes. The e-waste should be disposed off through authorized dealers only.
While buying electronic products always opt for those that:
o are made with minimum toxic constituents
o use recycled content
o are energy efficient
o are designed for easy upgrading or disassembly
o utilize minimal packaging
o offer leasing or take back options
o have been certified by regulatory authorities.
Issued by
Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB)
