Botkin Environmental Science Earth as Living Planet 8th txtbk

538 CHAPTER 23 Materials Management
A CLOSER LOOK 23.2
“e-waste”: A Growing Environmental Problem
Hundreds of millions of computers and other electronic
devices—such as cell phones, iPods, televisions, and computers
games—are discarded every year. The average life of a
computer is about three years, and it is not manufactured with
recycling in mind. That is changing in the United States. as
the cost to recycle TV and computer screens is charged to their
manufacturers.
When we take our electronic waste, called e-waste, to a
location where computers are turned in, we assume that it will
be handled properly, but this is too often not what happens. In
the United States, which helped start the technology revolution
and produces most of the e-waste, its eventual disposal
may cause serious environmental problems. The plastic housing
for computers, for example, may produce toxins when
burned. Computer parts also have small amounts of heavy
metals—including gold, tin, copper, cadmium, and mercury—
that are harmful and may cause cancer if inhaled, ingested,
or absorbed through the skin. At present, many millions of
computers are disposed of by what is billed as recycling, but
the EPA has no official process to ensure that this e-waste
won’t cause future problems. In fact, most of these computers
are being exported under the label of “recycling” to countries
such as Nigeria and China.
China’s largest e-waste facility is in Guiyu, near Hong
Kong. People in the Guiyu area process more than 1 million
tons of e-waste each year with little thought to the potential
toxicity of the material the workers are handling (Figure
23.15). In the United States, computers cannot be recycled
profitably without charging the people who dump them a
fee. Even with that, many U.S. firms ship their e-waste out of
the country, where greater profits are possible. The revenue
to the Guiyu area is about $1 million per year, so the central
government is reluctant to regulate the activity. Workers at
locations where computers are disassembled may be unaware
that some of the materials they are handling are toxic and
FIGURE 23.15 e-waste being processed in China—a hazardous
occupation.
that they thus have a hazardous occupation. Altogether, in
the Guiyu area, more than 5,000 family-run facilities specialize
in scavenging e-waste for raw materials. While doing
this, they are exposing themselves to a variety of toxins and
potential health problems.
To date, the United States has not made a proactive attempt
to regulate the computer industry so that less waste is
produced. In fact, the United States is the only major nation
that did not ratify an international agreement that restricts and
bans exports of hazardous e-waste. 43
Our current ways of handling e-waste are not sustainable,
and the value we place on a quality environment should include
the safe handling and recycling of such waste. Hopefully,
that is the path we will take in the future. There are positive
signs. Some companies are now processing e-waste to reclaim
metals such as gold and silver. Others are designing computers
that use less toxic materials and are easier to recycle. The
European Union is taking a leadership role in requiring more
responsible management of e-waste.
and became a dump for wastes. From 1920 to 1952, some
20,000 tons of more than 80 chemicals were dumped into
the canal. In 1953 the Hooker Chemical Company—
which produced the insecticide DDT as well as an herbicide
and chlorinated solvents, and had dumped chemicals
into the canal—was pressured to donate the land to
the city of Niagara Falls for $1.00. The city knew that
chemical wastes were buried there, but no one expected
any problems. Eventually, several hundred homes and an
elementary school were built on and near the site, and
for years everything seemed fine. Then, in 1976–1977,
heavy rains and snows triggered a number of events, making
Love Canal a household word. 41
A study of the site identified many substances suspected
of being carcinogens, including benzene, dioxin,
dichlorethylene, and chloroform. Although officials