Toxic Waste From Electronics

An oft-visited plot line of science fiction movies involves mankind being brought to the edge of extinction as a result of its overzealous desire to better itself. Treks into deep space result in encounters with planet-conquering alien races; experiments with atomic and nuclear energy give birth to oversized, people-stomping creatures; and, in a more recent trend, mankind’s obsession with technological advancement leads to the development of self-aware machines that later turn on their creators. In what appears to be a case of real life following art, many environmentalists believe the latter may be coming to fruition -- although it’s not happening exactly as Hollywood imagined it.

Danger in Disguise

• While today’s proliferation of electronic gadgets may appear to improve mankind’s quality of life, it also may be shortening it, environmentalists say. Ironically, modern electronics’ chief weapon of destruction happens to be history’s oldest recorded toxic substance: lead. Found in most types of electronic products, lead – when inhaled or ingested – can cause any of a staggering 138 serious ailments in adults and children, according to the Lead Education and Abatement Design Group (link in Resources). However, because lead poisoning can be contracted only after lead particles are inhaled or ingested, simply owning electronic products doesn’t necessarily put one at risk. It’s what happens to the products after their usefulness has expired that poses a threat.

E-Waste

• When products containing lead are disposed of, they end up in landfills, where they eventually break down. Lead particles are absorbed by the ground, after which they can infiltrate groundwater supplies and resurface in vegetation. Particles that aren’t absorbed can become airborne, posing an inhalation risk. But while discarded electronic products play a big part in these dangers, the problem isn’t that manufacturers use an excessive amount of lead in their products. The real issue is the blurring rate at which technology advances, creating a constantly growing surplus of obsolete, landfill-destined products as new ones are introduced. The growth of potentially toxic electronic refuse has become such a concern that environmentalists have coined a new term to describe it: “e-waste.”

Plan Gone Awry

• In some cases, efforts to curb the e-waste threat have fallen flat. Cathode ray tubes -- the fragile glass funnels found in old-style TVs and computer monitors -- have long been known to be especially hazardous. When broken, a CRT’s brittle glass shatters into dust-sized, lead-carrying particulates that become airborne; when discarded in a landfill, the toxic glass is quick to break down and infect the ecosystem. For years, the potentially lethal problem was kept at bay through an initiative that required manufacturers to use recycled CRT material to make new ones. However, when CRTs were driven into extinction by flat-screen TVs and monitors, recycling plants all over the country were left with tons of the toxic material and nowhere to dispose of it. Some simply abandoned the CRTs, creating hazards in non-landfill areas.

Managing the Menace

• Undaunted by the CRT dilemma, lawmakers have continued their efforts to lessen the threat of e-waste lead poisoning by attempting to control the buildup of hazardous electronics in landfills. A number of states have passed mandatory recycling laws for certain electronic products, making it illegal to dispose of these products with regular landfill-bound trash. Some have set up special e-waste landfills in areas deemed to pose less of a contamination hazard. In parts of Europe, lead-based solder has been banned. And, perhaps having learned a lesson from the CRT fiasco, a growing number of U.S. states have passed laws making the manufacturers of electronics products responsible for their safe and legal disposal.