E-waste and health effects, An Emerging issue

 

Dr. T. Priyadharsini, Dr. M. E. Mukil Singh

 

ABSTRACT:

E-waste is a term for electronic products that have become unwanted, nonworking or obsolete and essentially reached the end of their useful life. Improper disposal and recycling in developing countries can lead to human health effects and environmental pollution. sources of e-waste is generated from the products used for communication and house hold equipments, Around 40 million ton E-waste is produced globally. India is expected to generate about 1.5 lakh ton of e- waste by 2020. The toxins produced from the improper e-waste recycling can cause permanent damage to brain and nervous system, cognitive impairments renal damage and cell damage. E –waste has emerged as one of the fastest growing waste streams worldwide today.  Reuse and recycle are more beneficial than simple disposal.  Designing of products using environment friendly raw items can make a change.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

E-Waste is a term for electronic products that have become unwanted, non working or obsolete and essentially reached the end of their useful life.

Electronic waste or E-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal also considered e-waste in developing countries can lead to human health effects and environmental pollution.

 

Sources of E-Waste:

·       Waste generated from the products used for data processing such as computers, key boards, printers etc.

·       Devices used for communication like TV, DVD, and CD players.

 

 

·       Equipment or devices used for communication like mobile phones, fax etc.

·       House hold equipments like vacuum cleaner , microwave ovens, washing machines, air conditioners etc.

 

Did you know?

·         40 Million ton E-waste produced globally.

·         7 Million ton is contributed by India.

·         12 Million ton is ton is contributed by china.

 

And these are recycling in dangerous and illegal manner (Robinson et al 2009).

 

Current scenario in india. E-waste pilling up.

Mumbai at present tops the list.

Mumbai- 11,017 tonns

Delhi    -  9730 tonns

Bangalore- 4648 tonns

Chennai -4132 tonns

Kolkata- 4025 tonns

Ahmedabad- 3287 tonns

Hyderabad -2833 tonns.

Facts about E-Waste:

India is expected to generate about 1.5 lakh ton of E-Waste by 2020. Manufactures association for information technology. Barely 4% of the E- waste is produced in India is recycled (ASSOCHAM). Over 95% of the E- waste generated in India is managed by informal sectors. (ASSOCHAM). More than 4.5 lakh child labourers are engaged in E- waste activity in India. 6000 Mobile phone gives 340gram gold, 3.5 kg of silver, 1400 gm of palladium and 13 Kgs of copper.

 

Effects on environment:

·       Pollution of ground water .

·       Acidification of soil.

·       Air pollution

·       E-waste accounts 40% of the lead and 75% of the heavy metals found in landfills.

 

HEALTH EFFECTS ON TOXINS PRODUCED FROM E-WASTE:

Effect of toxin lead:

Lead can be found in circuit board, moniter and cathode ray tubes (CRT). Lead is particularly dangerous to the environment because of it ability to accumulate and persist in plants, animals and microorganisms (puckett et al 2002). Bioaccumulation of lead in the human body is particularly harmful because it affects CNS. Lead can cause permanent damage to brain and nervous system, retardation, behavioural changes cognitive impairements (Ryan et al 2014).

 

Effect of toxin cadmium:

Cadmium can be found in surface mound device SMD, chip, resistors, infra red detectors and semi conductors. It accumulates in the human body causes renal damage cadmium that enters the system through the gastrointestinal resides in human kidney with half life of 10-20 years. (Nord berg et al, 1995).

 

Effect of toxin mercury:

Mercury is the most prevalent toxic metal found in E- waste. It is in circuit boards, switches, medical equipments, lamps, mobile phones and batteries. Mercury transform into methyl mercury in water, where it can accumulate in living organism. Typically via fish, concentrating in large fish and human at the top of the food chain (Puckett et al, 2002). Mercury is readily absorbed by the human body, ultimately inhibiting enzymatic activity and to cell damage.

 

Effect of toxins on plastics.:

 The most abundant component of E-waste is plastics. Plastic comprise of almost twenty three percent of a typical desktop computer (Microelectronics 1995). They are used for insulation of cables and housing for all electronic devices; the variety of products available for recovery complicates the de-manufacturing process. Due to complex recovery process, large amounts of plastic e-waste are disposed of through landfills, incinerators and open burning, allowing toxic substances to leach in to the environment.

 

Pictures depicting the E-waste deposition in land.

 

Managing E-Waste:

·       Inventory management

·       Establishing material purchase review

·       Control procedure and inventory tracking system.

·       Production process management.

·       Improved operating and maintenance procedure

·       Material change

·       Process equipment modification.

·       Volume reduction

·       Source segregation

·       Waste concentration.

·       Recovery and reuse

·       Eliminate waste disposal.

·       Reduce raw material coasts

·       Provide income from a salable waste.

·       Sustainable product design

 

How to dispose E-waste:

·       Donate working order equipment to schools colleges on Government entities in need.

·       If PC are out of order then return it to the manufacturers ( HCL and wipro in India has best take back service.)

·       Send waste goods to authorized recycling for proper disposal.

Recycling and reprocessing units in India:

Andrapradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Tamilnadu, Maharastra, Rajasthan and uttarpradesh.

·       M/S Ramaky E- waste recycling facility (Ramky Enviro -Engineers ltd).

·       Attero electronic asset management company unit Roorkee owner; IIT Delhi passout.

·       M/S E- R₃ solutions Pvt limited Peenya Bangalore.

 

CONCLUSION:

E-waste has emerged as one of the fastest growing waste streams worldwide today. Electronic gadgets, without proper disposal can cause environmental harm. Reuse and recycle are more beneficial than simple disposal. Designing of products using environment friendly raw items can make a change. Awareness of E-waste should be given government shall take steps to reduce E-waste disposal.

 

 

REFERENCES:

1.      Monika and Jugal kishore, E-waste management, As challenge to public health in india.. Indian journal of community medicine. 2010, July 35(3), 382-385.

2.      Brett. H. Robinson; E-waste; An assessment of global production and environmental impacts, science of the total environment 408, (2009) 183-191.

3.      Barba –Gutierrz , Adenoo-diaz, Hopp . M . An analysis of some environmental consequences of European electrical and electronic waste regulation. 2008; 52; 481-95.

4.      Luo, cai zw, wong MH, Determination of poly brominated diphenyl ethers in fresh water fishes from a river polluted by E-waste . Talanta2007; 72; 1644-9.

5.      United nation environment program E-waste volume 1- inventory assessment manual, Division of technology, industry and economics, International environmental technology centre, Osaka, Japan 2007.

6.      Kristen Grant MIPH, Fiona C Goldezen BA, Prof. Martinvan den Berg, Health consequences of exposure to e-waste; a systematic review, the lancet, global health, volume 1, issue 6, December 2013, page no c350-c 361.

7.      Nakagawa layne, ‘Toxic trade, The real cost of electronics waste exports from the united states’, world resource institute, june 2006, Dec 2009

8.      Puckett J, Byster L, westervelt S, Davis S, Hussain A, Exporting harm; the high tech Trasing of Asia. Seattle ; Basal action Netwo

9.      Van Ryan, Kristopher P, Monica Antolo, louissee concemino, Electronic waste management for undergraduate students – The case of a Philippine sectarian university, Journal of Biodiversity and environmental sciences, ISSN ; 2220-6663, Vol.11 no.2 page no . 70-77.2017.

10.   CPCB Guidelines for environmentally sound management of e-waste ( Approved MOEF , Delhi; ministry of environment and forests, central pollution control broad,March 2008.

11.   Web references http://www.ban.org http;//earthtrends.wri.org/, http://www.global-smtindia.in/indexphp? option=com_contentandtask=viewandid=26548anditemid http://www.nautilus.org

 

 

 

 

Received on 30.09.2019         Modified on 07.10.2019

Accepted on 15.10.2019      ©A&V Publications All right reserved