Issue Of E-Waste
Have you ever thought about what happens to your laptop or desktop after you throw it in garbage? It becomes electronic waste.
Electronic waste or E-Waste can be explained as discarded electronic or electric devices. Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse or resale, salvage recycling through material recovery or disposal is also a part of Electronic waste. Informal of unauthorized or inappropriate processing of Electronic waste in developing countries without taking proper precautions is leading to negative human health effects and is also causing environmental pollution.
Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) are considered one of the hardest types of recycle. these tubes have a relatively high concentration of lead and phosphors, both of which are necessary for the display. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) includes discarded CRT monitors in its category of "hazardous household waste" but considers CRTs that have been set aside for testing to be commodities if they are not discarded, speculatively accumulated, or left unprotected from weather and other damage. These CRT devices are often confused between the DLP Rear Projection TV, both of which have a different recycling process due to the materials of which they are composed.
On the other hand, Electronic waste presents a potential security threat to individuals and exporting countries. Hard drives that are not properly erased before the computer is disposed can be reopened and misused. Credit card numbers other financial information such as bank account details, etc. can be accessed inappropriately due to this.
Residents living around or nearby the Electronic waste recycling plants also go through harmful effects of this though they might not be involved in actual recycling process. Children are especially sensitive towards exposure to this waste because of several reasons such as their smaller size, higher metabolism rate, large surface area in relation to their weight, etc. They were measured to have an 8-time potential health risk compared to the adult e-waste recycling workers.
The process of dismantling and handling of this waste in developing countries led too a number of environmental impacts. Liquid and atmospheric releases end up in water bodies, soil and air. Therefore land and sea animals after eating contaminated crops by this waste.
Government and private institutions and NGOs are taking various initiatives towards this emerging issue.
