Electronic waste in the United States
[8] In 1986, a cargo vessel carrying 14,000 tons of toxic waste left Philadelphia and traveled around the world for more than five months continually being turned away from areas where it attempted to dump its contents.
Incinerating e-waste without proper workplace and environmental regulations poses a risk because it generates dioxins, which can cause cancer and plague the human body and environment for long periods of time.
[18] Moreover, open burning, a common practice in developing countries receiving e-waste, releases toxic fumes and dust that can be easily inhaled and effect nearby food sources and water bodies.
For instance, when processing cathode ray tubes (CRTs), which are found in television and computer monitors, workers use handheld tools like hammers that expose them to hazardous materials.
[15] Because of this, federal regulatory bodies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) state that e-waste recycling facilities must provide uniforms, showers, and laundry services for workers.
[15] When facilities don't meet these protocols, lead and cadmium exposures can leave the production floor with workers and enter their personal vehicles or homes, which can adversely affect the health of family members.
[31] The report found that UNICOR failed to provide protective workplace equipment or proper tools to dismantle electronic products, which resulted in staff and incarcerated individuals being exposed to lead and cadmium above permissible levels.
[32] Additionally, illegal storage and disposal of toxic waste, such as glass and electronic dust debris by UNICOR facilities, can lead to contaminated soil, air and water from wind and rainwater runoff.
Health and safety negligence within the prison e-waste program may contribute to the accumulation of toxics in surrounding communities that are often made up of predominately low-income and minority residents.
[36] Burning and dismantling e-waste is a main driver of atmospheric pollution and along with manual disassembly, is the primary workplace practice that results in exposure to hazardous materials.
[37] As the e-waste export chain generally ends in rural, unregulated, and technically illegal burning or dismantling sites, the workers are often subjected to extremely poor and hazardous conditions and are unable to unionize or speak out for better rights.
As the chemicals in question generally have a slow metabolic rate in animals, the compounds have a tendency to bioaccumulate in tissues and further contaminate humans through eggs, milk, and other edible products.
[39] E-waste management practices include melting printed circuit boards to recover solder (surrounding plastics are burned off in the process), manual disassembly, and the use of acid to extract metals from complex mixtures.
[24] Due to the rudimentary methods of disposal and the number of years of e-waste processing, rural areas in China are beginning to experience contaminated surface water and soil that can hinder communities from further living on the land.
[citation needed] Children in China also can experience elevated blood levels, skin damage, headaches, chronic gastritis, and duodenal ulcers due to e-waste recycling pollutants.
[39] High levels of dioxin compounds, which are linked to cancer and developmental defects, have been commonly found in the breast milk and placentas of women exposed to e-waste, which can reveal improper disposal and handling of electronic products.
[19] Specifically, there are various reports that the city of Delhi contains several e-waste management sites that use concentrated hydrochloric and nitric acids to extract gold and copper.
Researchers have collected ashes from two waste burning operations in New Delhi, India, at Ibrahimpur and Shashtri Park which contained high levels of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc.
[48] The United States Congress considers a number of electronic waste bills, including the National Computer Recycling Act introduced by Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA).
[64][66] A law in the state of Washington took effect on January 1, 2009, requiring manufacturers of electronic goods to pay for recycling, and establishing a statewide network of collection points.
[75] The data records available show that the largest hubs for mobile phone deportation are Asia (Hong Kong, HKSAR) and the Caribbean and parts of Latin America (Guatemala, Paraguay, Panama, Peru, and Colombia).
The largest international transit ports reside in Asia (Hong Kong, China, United Arab Emirates), which results in large quantities of waste ending up in smaller regions in the area.
[75] According to the records that track the initial export of used electronics, the major re-export destination hubs are: Lebanon, Argentina, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Chile, Mexico, and China.
[77] The combustion of burning e-waste results in ash that contains fine particulate matter; a measure of pollutants that has been linked to cardiovascular and pulmonary issues.
[1] Recent research done by the Basel Action Network indicates that along with companies directly attempting to ship their waste overseas or into domestic landfills, certain questionable recycling programs themselves have contributed to the export numbers.
[76] The majority of e-stewards recyclers implement no-export policies regarding the entire device, yet are still allowed to export raw plastics and metals in their simplest form.
In 2002, a small activist group in California called Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) began lobbying, consisting largely of employees from PC and printer producers, like Hewlett-Packard.
The coalition lobbied state legislators for stricter e-waste regulation which played a large role in the passing of the California Electronic Waste Recycling Act.
Donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves our natural resources and avoids air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing virgin materials.
[99] Pew Research Center survey information also found that in 2016, only approximately 48% of adult Americans said electronic waste was recycled in their community, in a sample size of 1,534 people over all 50 states.
