TELEVISIONS & COMPUTER MONITORS (other than flat screens) produce images using a cathode ray tube (CRT), a heavy funnel-shaped glass tube with a Åat screen at the front and an electron emitter at the back. The CRT creates images when electrons hit the back of the phosphor-coated screen, lighting it up and allowing us to watch cartoons or browse the web. In order to protect humans and animals from radiation produced inside the cathode ray tubes, 3-8 pounds of lead are encapsulated in the glass within each monitor or television. While lead has long been known to be a human toxin capable of causing cancer, there are many other materials in electronic waste with toxic effects.
CRT’S ARE NOT the only hazardous components in e-waste. Circuit
boards readily qualify as hazardous waste due to the presence of lead
and copper.
This means that everything from cell phones to electronic toys and microwave
ovens have hazardous components in them and must be handled properly
at end of life. Mercury is present in Åat screens, scanners, and switches.
Beryllium, cadmium, and arsenic also present in electronic waste mean
it
must be handled properly at the time of disposal.
SO WHERE ARE OUR OLD COMPUTERS GOING? Many discarded computers still
work, but they are “thrown away” or stored in garages
to make room for upgrades. Tons of computers that are supposedly ‘recycled’ end
up being exported to developing countries. Prison operations around
the US receive hazardous electronic waste for dismantling and refurbishing,
sometimes without adequate training and protection for prisoners.
Landfills
and incinerators still receive large quantities of e-waste from households
and small businesses, even though it is known to be toxic. Electronics,
the fastest growing waste stream in the US, accounts for over 70%
of heavy metals (including mercury and cadmium) found in US landfills.