Poor risk slow death from improper recycling of e-waste in India
A United Nations report described how mountains of hazardous waste from electronic products are growing exponentially in developing countries.
It said India would have 500% more e-waste from discarded computers in 2020 than in 2007, and 18x more discarded cell phones.
The risks posed to those who handle the cast-offs are clear. A study of 250 people working in the city as recyclers and dismantlers over 12 months found almost all suffered from breathing problems such as asthma and bronchitis. They found high levels of lead, mercury and chromium in blood and urine samples.
Toxic metals and poisons enter workers' bloodstreams during the component extraction process and when equipment is crudely treated to collect tiny quantities of precious metals. All the workers surveyed were unaware of the dangers they were exposed to. They were all illiterate and desperate for employment. There are no estimates of how many people die in India from e-waste poisoning as ill workers generally drift back to their villages when they can no longer earn a living.
Mobile phones, computers and televisions are most dangerous because they have high levels of lead, mercury and cadmium.
These devices come from all over the world as companies dump products overseas rather than recycle them properly.
