Effect of E-waste on Environment & Health
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Transcript of Effect of E-waste on Environment & Health
EFFECT OF E-WASTE ON ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH
EFFECT OF E-WASTE ON ENVIRONMENT
What is E-waste
• E-waste or electronic waste is a term used for those electronic equipment that has reached its end of life in the hand of its current user
electrical and electronic devices is the fastest-growing sector
20 to 50 million tonnes e-waste are generated world-wide
It contain toxic material such as mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium etc.
Introduction
What happens with it ...
• device are storage, re-use and recycling,
• Export to developing country as a charity or illegally
• Reused in developing countries
E-waste recycling sites in Asia
E-waste type & E-waste composition
D i d y o u k n o w . . . ?
• People discard computers every two to four years on average
• Cell phones have a life-cycle of less than two years 20% lead by weight.
• 36 chemical elements
• 500 million obsolete computer & 130 million cell phone discarded in USA
• 20-50 million tonnes E-waste
Landfill-disposal
• materials that are placed within it.
• In landfills a certain amount of chemical and metal leaching will occur
• PBDE and the cadmium may leach into the soil and groundwater.
Disposal methods
• landfills or incinerators
• in 2000 more than 4.6 million tonnes of e-waste ended up in landfills nationally
• certain amount of chemical and metal leakage will occur
• The vaporization of mercury in Uncontrolled fires causes health and environmental risks
Incineration
• The vaporization of E-waste create risk.
• Incinerated ash contain hazardous components.
• Disposed in a mono fill or landfill.
• Ash transporter exposed to health risk.
• In 1997,133 pounds of mercury releases to the air
E-toxic component in computer-junk
• computer circuit boards containing heavy metals like lead & cadmium
• computer batteries containing cadmium• cathode ray tubes with lead oxide & barium• Brominated flame-retardants used on printed circuit
boards, cables and plastic casing.• Poly Vinyl Chloride 12(PVC) coated copper cables and
plastic computer casings that release highly toxic dioxins & furans when burnt to recover valuable metals
• mercury switches• mercury in flat screens• Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl’s (PCB’s) present in older
capacitors & transformers
E-waste and its effect on health and the environment
Nickel (Ni) • skin damages and asthma , lung damages,
carcinogen• Enter environment through air.
Antimony (Sb)• eye and skin irritation, hair loss, lung and
heart damages, and fertility problems. • This element is better absorbed in soils
containing steel, magnesium or aluminum.
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
• Cause anemia, damages to the skin, liver, stomach and thyroid
• Contamination of pregnant women is very risky .
• Drip & contaminate water.
• Contaminate the chain of production of some foods.
Tetra Bromo Bisphenol-A (TBBPA) mutations or carcinogen effects.
• toxic to aquatic organisms.
• damages to the endocrine.
Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)
• damage kidneys, liver and thyroids.
• passing along the food chain.
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
Thyroxin, damaging the endocrine system, thyroid damages
Chlirofluorocarbons (CFC)Destroy the ozone layer,
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC
Damages animal kidney.
Soluble in water
Arsenic
carcinogen, Skin & lung cancer
Barium
Gastrointestinal disorder & muscle weakness change in heart beat rate paralysis ,death ,eye& skin irritation
Accumulate in aquatic organism
Beryllium Inhalation cause pneumonia
respiratory inflammation, lung cancer
Not dissolve in water
Cadmium
Lung damage & death ,kidney damage, carcinogenic
Absorbed by plants
Lead If incinerated it transmitted to air & soil Anorexia, muscle pain & headache, weakness,
brain damage, & even death. Effect reproductive system.
If incinerated it transmitted to air & soil
Mercury More accessible in organic form Lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, Eye & skin irritation, Damages to brain, kidneysEtc.More accessible in organic form
Responsibility
• Easily recyclable
• Use required electronic devices
• Use it to its complete life period.