Why e waste is referred as toxic bomb ? What are the harmful effects of e waste on environment?
E waste is affecting environment harmful and creating health risks for humans from a long time.
Do you want to know about it's root cause and it's dangerous consequence on environment ?
Reason behind harmful effects of e waste on environment is "consumer mind set".
Present day consumers want there instruments/gadgets with advanced technology.
And all of us know that it is not possible. Because we know that technology is changing day by day.
This effect on the e waste generation rate how it gone be happen ? For that keep reading this article.
In last we tried to discuss about the role of society towards e waste generation . That topic is my personal favorite.
Let's start
Harmful effects of e waste on environment.
With the increase in technology in the field of electronic ,communication and information technology.
But on a flip side the prices of these new products are decreasing or becoming lower day by day.
This increase the tendency of user to replace the existing one with the new one with better facility.
The low prices of these high-tech gadgets make them reachable for even economically lower section of society.
Due to this number of electronic gadget is increasing rapidly.
By which increasing number and short shelf life of these instruments /gadgets ,generation of e waste per capital is increasing.
The waste produced during this process is known as e waste.
E-waste affects the environment due to it's improper disposal.
The effects of improper disposal of solid waste pose very real threats and dangerous to the global environment.
Improper disposal of electronic waste affects soil ,air and water components of the environment.
Most of these impacts are through recycling of e waste by unorganized sector.
Reason behind improper disposal is the presence of vast majority of illegal e waste ends up in landfills ,incinerators and ill-equipped recycling facilities.
The waste is dumped in areas where local residents and workers disassemble the unit and collect whatever is of value.
What is not reusable is simply dumped as waste, creating immence problems and leading to what has been described as a "Toxic time bomb" .
This toxic time bomb refers to e waste .
There are three main harmful effects of e waste on the environment.
Effects on water
In present to stay in market ,manufacturers try to make their products more efficient and commercially successful. And try different tactics.
To make their new product better and advance from existing ones. They never hesitate to use heavy and toxic metals like lead ,Mercury and lithium.
When electronics, heavy metals parts are disposed improperly, these heavy metals leach through soil to reach groundwater channels ,which eventually run to the surface as stream or small ponds of water.
And make the water toxic and not preferable for drinking purpose.
Apart from these, chemical resulting in death of some of the plants and animals that exist in the water . Intake of the contaminated water by humans and land animals result in lead poisoning.
Effects on air.
One of the most common effects of e waste on air is through air pollution.
Mainly it occurs during the recovery of metals like copper ,aluminium ,silver etc from e waste.
To increase the rate of recovery, labour incinerate (burn) the wire or other part.
Through this the plastic coiling of wire and other part is separated due to melting.
When the plastic incinerate, toxic air pollutants is produced . It can cause various disease.
When computers, monitors and other electronics are born they create cancer dioxins.
Effect on soil
Due to dumping of e waste into the landfilling sites many toxic heavy metals and chemicals from e-waste enter the soil and then follows the 'soil- crop -foot pathway."
Which is one of the most significant route of heavy metal exposure to humans. Chemical are not biodegradable waste -persist in the environment for long period of time, increasing the risk of exposure.
Effects on human
E waste is not able to affect human directly . The way they affect the human is indirect exposure but from everywhere.
Let me explain
When e waste harmful effects different component of the environment air, water and soil.
Mainly through this e waste is able to contaminant or affect the human health.
Due to toxic metals, it contaminate the water. Water become in appropriate for drinking.
If accidentally any of organism even human body came exposed with that water either directly or indirectly it bring different disease related to brain ,head and kidney and help the person to get the long bills of hospital.
Similarly due to incineration of part of different gadget its contaminate the air also.
When any organism breath in that atmosphere . The harmful oxides and pollutants enters into their body it leads disease related to lungs, kidney and skeleton system.
Also when it contaminate the soil either it makes the soil not able to produce crop or if the soil remain able then the crop will be contaminated.
The harmful effects of e-waste on environment is due to humans and their different society.
So what is the role of an individual to manage the e- waste ?
We tried to divide society in three parts government, manufacturers and consumers.
If any of the part in this three understand their role . So it can we bring a large impact on e waste generation.
Role of government
Government have to monitor the disposal process. They have to make sure e -waste is disposed properly.
They must try to eliminate those illegal, illequipped recycling facilities.
They have to release guideline for all ligal e-waste recovery facilities.
In that guideline they tell facilities that how to recover and dispose the e-waste without damaging environment.
Role of manufacturers
Manufacturer should take responsibility to provide management option if the product sold by them include hazardous materials.
Company can adopt their own policies while handling e waste. Personals involved and handling such e- waste would be properly qualified and trained of at all level including managerial and operational level.
Company should adopt waste minimization technique, which will make a significant reduction in the quality of e-waste generation and theirby reducing the impact on the environment.
In reality" reserves production" system should be used to recover and reuse every material contained e- waste metal such as lead ,copper ,aluminium and gold and various plastic, glass and wire for which proper infrastructure may be required.
This lead to "closed loop" system with manufacturing and recovery system in place , leading to recovery of precious metals thereby reducing the harmful effects of toxic chemicals on the environment.
Responsibility of citizen
Waste prevention is perhaps more preferred to any other waste management option including recycling.
Donating electronic for reuse extend the lives of valuable products and keep them out of the waste management system for a long period of time.
However such product should be in proper working condition to ensure such product are not disposed with household waste . Products should be segregated on site and sold or donated to various organisational which recycle or handle the waste properly.
Also there should be a tendency to use product to its fullest life and unnecessary updates/replacement should be avoided unless it hampers the unity of the product.
Conclusion
In start we discussed e waste is referred as toxic bomb . According to us its human who is toxic bomb. Which causing harmful effects of e waste on environment.
It's just due to to the root cause "consumer mind set " . We hope now you understand about how e waste affect the environment.
According to us each section has a role to play against e waste generation or to stop harmful effects of e waste on environment.
Among all three consumers role is most important. If consumers try to avoid the product which is manufactured with the help of toxic metals. It will have a direct impact on e waste generation.
If you have any query related to this just asking comment section.
We will definitely try to solve all of your doubts.
If you read till now. Comment your experience in the comment section. Be it good or bad.
Because "you matter the most"
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