E-Waste Environmental and Workers issues - Essay Example

It also presents the brighter side of upgrading e-waste or called e-cycling. Jim Puckett et al (2002) define electronic waste or e-waste as the increasing scope of electronic devices ranging from huge appliances in different households such as refrigerators, air conditioners, mobile hand-held cellular phones, personal stereos, and consumer electronics up to computers. E-waste is dangerous. E-waste consists of 1,000 various substances in which most of these are toxic and contributes to the gravity of pollution when disposed.

Some of these toxic chemicals are (1) lead and cadmium found in circuit boards, (2) lead oxide and cadmium in cathode ray tube (CRTs) of monitors, (3) mercury in switches and flat screen monitors, (4) cadmium in computer batteries, (5) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in old capacitors and transformers, and (6) brominated flame retardants on printed circuit boards, plastic casings, cables and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) cable insulations. (Puckett et al, 2002) E-waste is produced at alarming rates due to obsolescence.

The fast paced development of technology resulted to for many gadgets, hardware systems, computers to be replaced in a short span of time. For example, a computer system which can last for five years or so is replaced in a year or two because of increasing technological developments that produced new and updated products. Also when electronics and other devices break down, the cost of repair can be higher than buying new ones. The high rates of obsolescence increase the volume of waste as compared to consumer goods like food.

(Puckett et al, 2002) Puckett et al (2002) discuss that e-waste is produced by three (3) major sectors in the United States: (1) individuals and businesses, (2) large businesses, institutions, and governments, and (3) original equipment manufacturers. For the first sector, the equipments most frequently disposed by households and businesses are computers. The primary reason for this is not because of