Hidden Flow
I found a number of alarming facts about e-waste's harmful effects on both the environment and people, when not properly disposed of. Unfortunately, this is more common than not as a result of 75% (6.6 million tons) of techno waste having a "hidden flow". Hidden Flow used in this case means there is no data available on what happens to this technology, it is essentially the waste that escapes all means of responsible disposal. Whether it is exported to another country to be disposed of, reused, or recycled, or even just stored or thrown away in its original place of use, it is unknown what exactly happens to it. In the United States, the hidden flow percentage is five percent higher than the world's average, and it is actually legal to export e-waste to other countries. With only 20% of e-waste actually being recorded and properly disposed of to be recycled and reused, how can the environmental impacts from this be under control in developing countries? It isn't. What all this talk about hidden flow adds up to is emphasizing how a substantial amount of our techno waste is left to cause negative affects to the people left to dismantle, breathe, and live with our mistakes.
Know Your Chemicals
It is fairly well known (at least I hope) that there are many chemicals and metals used in the process of making and are also directly placed into technology: computers, cell phones, lighting fixtures, batteries, etc. When these items can no longer be used and are then added to the growing number of e-waste in the hidden flow, these items can then be placed somewhere to either be dismantled for the precious metals, or left to "die" in a plot of land, water body, or covering the streets of developing countries simply waiting for their fate. In the cases where the technology is dismantled, chemicals are released into the air, water, ground, and in the lungs of the poor people who are inhaling it. Although there are many chemicals that can be extremely harmful to whatever or whomever is exposed to them, just a few are being named here:
- Mercury is found in lighting devices and monitors. It has been known to cause damage to the central nervous system and the brain.
- Components of Hexavalent Chromium is used in the production of metal housings. It is a known human carcinogen and is extremely toxic.
- Cadmium is found in monitors, rechargeable computer batteries and light switches. It is known to accumulate in the environment over time and become incredibly toxic and can negatively affect bones and kidneys in those who are exposed to it.
- Cathode Ray Tubes are found in computer monitors and contain lead. It's known affects include brain impairment in the developmental cycle in children, and can be detrimental to the blood, reproductive and nervous systems of the body.
As well as being ingested and inhaled, all of these chemicals and more can mix and accumulate in the environment and seep into the ground and the surrounding water bodies to pollute them to an almost irreversible extent.
An important aspect of techno waste's harmful affects is how it can reach the food that affected communities are eating. When the waste is left to be exposed to environmental elements, in turn, it can also be exposed to the animals eating those same environmental elements. Picture this: cows grazing on a field and the same field that they are grazing on is right next to or is even partially covered with old computers, cell phones, monitors, lightbulbs, and everything of the sort. The ground and the water running through a portion of the field is infested with chemicals that have leaked out of those technologies. The cows are drinking the water and eating the grass, unaware of what they have just ingested which in turn will affect whomever gets the meat, cheese, milk, etc from those cows. In the end, the unfortunate people who got to eat and drink from those cows are now infected themselves with chemicals from improperly disposed technology. This is a huge problem in developing countries and it only continues to get worse.
Effects on Developing Countries (Women and Children)
To get to the metals and valuable materials within techno waste, people are set to cooking the parts away to retrieve what they need. A lot of the time it is women and children who are the work force in this process. In developing countries, these same women and children do not work in well ventilated areas that are clean and safe. They work in places that are small, dark, dirty, dangerous, and have little to no ventilation at all. The kinds of jobs that these people have are gathering and sorting the electronics, burning them, manually dismantling them, and even selling the parts they separate.
Women and children are the majority who are harshly affected by the dangers that come with techno waste. They are the ones who are inhaling most of the chemicals, and are impacted the heaviest by health problems like cancers, diseases, deformities, and all sorts of other issues. Although it is already very sad, their situation is made worse by the fact that all of these issues are preventable with the correct processing, handling, and recycling of technological waste.
Citations:
Cobbing, Madeleine. "Toxic Tech: Not in Our Backyard." Greenpeace (2008): N. pag. Web. Nov. 2013. <http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2008/2/not-in-our-backyard.pdf>.
Lundgren, Karin. "The Global Impact of E-Waste: Addressing the Challenge." International Labour Office (2012): N. pag. Web. Nov. 2013. <http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---sector/documents/publication/wcms_196105.pdf>.
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