Between 20 and 50 million tons of electronic wast (or e-waste) are produced annually around the world. This adds up to 5 percent of all waste, the same amount as plastic products.
The problem with e-waste is that a single product such as a cellphone or a computer contains between 500 and 1000 parts, many of which are made from toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium and hazardous chemicals, such as brominated flame retardants.
These chemicals are especially dangerous to workers who produce or dispose of such products, particularly children and pregnant women. Extremely low levels of exposure to lead and mercury can harm children and fetuses.
Cellphones and computers do not need to contain these chemicals to function. A few major companies (Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and Sony) have pledged to remove these life-threatening components from their products. Others have made no comment on the subject.
(Some facts from Greenpeace: The average lifespan of computers in developed countries has dropped from six years in 1997 to just two years in 2005.
Mobile phones have a lifecycle of less than two years in developed countries.
183 million computers were sold worldwide in 2004 - 11.6 percent more than in 2003.
674 million mobile phones were sold worldwide in 2004 - 30 percent more than in 2003.
By 2010, there will be 716 million new computers in use. There will be 178 million new computer users in China, 80 million new users in India.)
Source: AllVoices
The problem with e-waste is that a single product such as a cellphone or a computer contains between 500 and 1000 parts, many of which are made from toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium and hazardous chemicals, such as brominated flame retardants.
These chemicals are especially dangerous to workers who produce or dispose of such products, particularly children and pregnant women. Extremely low levels of exposure to lead and mercury can harm children and fetuses.
Cellphones and computers do not need to contain these chemicals to function. A few major companies (Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, and Sony) have pledged to remove these life-threatening components from their products. Others have made no comment on the subject.
(Some facts from Greenpeace: The average lifespan of computers in developed countries has dropped from six years in 1997 to just two years in 2005.
Mobile phones have a lifecycle of less than two years in developed countries.
183 million computers were sold worldwide in 2004 - 11.6 percent more than in 2003.
674 million mobile phones were sold worldwide in 2004 - 30 percent more than in 2003.
By 2010, there will be 716 million new computers in use. There will be 178 million new computer users in China, 80 million new users in India.)
Source: AllVoices
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