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e-Junk Explosion Charles W. Schmidt Abstract
image credit: Matt Ray/EHP Electonic technology has changed the way millions of people communicate and do business. Now, as an expected 500 million computers in the United States alone are on the verge of becoming obsolete, activists and policy makers are exploring options aimed at diverting this mountain of computer monitors, television sets, and VHS players out of the waste stream and are looking to manufacturers to take more responsibility for their products. Many advocate recycling this waste, but the U.S. has been slow to adopt such programs. An unacccounted for portion of this e-waste is ending up in developing countries such as China, where workers are exposed to toxic materials such as heavy metals and brominated flame retardants as they disassemble goods to salvage usable parts.
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