The Effects of Silver E-Waste on the Environment

Silver is a common form of electronic waste, which refers to discarded electronic equipment such as computer monitors and television screens. Silver is used in the contact circuits of keyboards and is a common component in circuit boards. Since it is usually present as paint or melded with other materials, it is difficult to recover from scrapped electronics on an economical scale. As a result, most silver used by the electronics industry ends up as E-waste.

Silver and E-Waste

• E-waste is a common term for hazardous electronic waste, a special classification of garbage that includes computers, cell phones, appliances, and electronics. Many forms of e-waste include materials hazardous to human health and the environment, including lead, mercury, and various heavy metals. While some metals such as gold, platinum and a fair amount of copper are commonly harvested from E-waste before it ends up in a landfill, the amount of silver isn't valuable enough to harvest in most cases.

Destinations

• Most E-waste ends up in landfills, where it is exposed to the elements. Silver, like most metals in E-waste, is slowly leached out by rainwater, and eventually ends up in the groundwater. From there it can move into streams, rivers, and eventually the ocean. Silver can also contaminate the soil, where it is drawn up into plants and consumed by animals. Silver is classified as one of the top-eight-most-dangerous metals identified in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Impact on Animal Life

• Silver is most dangerous to aquatic life, particularly mollusks. When silver reaches the ocean, it is ingested and absorbed by almost all aquatic plants and animals. Unlike most heavy metals, silver is nonreactive in most of its forms and can be processed out of most animals' systems. High enough concentrations can cause mass die-offs of sensitive species, starting with bottom-dwelling mollusks such as clams and oysters. Ionic silver is fatal at much lower concentrations.

Impact on Humans

• Silver is a heavy metal, which is not a good prospect for long-term ingestion. There are some forms of silver which are safe for human consumption, and are even used as forms of alternative medicine. However, even these are not encouraged by government health agencies, and run the risk of developing silver toxicity. Other forms of silver can cause chronic gastrointestinal problems as well as damage to the kidneys and liver.