Evaluating Risks of Acquired Clinical Vulnerability Among Subjects Exposed to E-Waste - Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - page 5

Table 3 Composition of materials present in a typical personal computer

Percentage
of total weight

Percentage
of total weight Elements Content (g) Elements Content (g)

Plastics 23 6,250 Zinc 2 55

Lead 6 1,710 Beryllium 0.0157 4.26

Aluminum 14 3,850 Gold 0.0016 0.434

Germanium 0.0016 0.4345 Cobalt 0.0157 4.2

Gallium 0.0013 0.3531 Palladium 0.0003 0.081

Iron 20 5,570 Manganese 0.0315 8.55

Tin 1 271 Silver 0.0189 5.13

Copper 7 1,880 Mercury 0.0022 0.597

Barium 0.0315 8.55 Arsenic 0.0013 0.35

Nickel 0.8503 231 Silica 24.8803 6.770

Source : Sahu and Agarwal ( 2008 )

E-waste management and handling rules were implemented in 2010 by India's
Ministry of Environment and Forests and will come into force by January 1, 2012.
These draft rules include the following provisions:

• They impose responsibilities on producers, distributors, refurbishers, collection

centers, consumers, dismantlers, recyclers, and reprocessors
They include authorization and registration procedures for handling E- waste •

• Among other restrictions they designate procedures for storing E-waste

• They reduce the use of hazardous substances (RoHS) in the manufacture of elec-

trical and electronic equipment (MOEF 2010 )

2.2 Composition of E-Waste

Some of the more toxic substances that are found in E-waste include lead, mercury,
and human carcinogens, such as cadmium, and the polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs). A typical computer monitor may contain more than 6% lead by weight,
much of which is in the lead glass of the Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). The composition
of materials present in a typical personal computer is shown in Table 3 . Capacitors,
transformers, polyvinylchloride (PVC)-insulated wires, and PVC-coated compo-
nents, manufactured before 1977, often contain dangerous levels of PCBs (Zabrosky
2010 ).
On the average, when one ton of E-waste is shredded and undergoes the standard
separation steps that comprise mechanical recycling, approximately 40 kg of a
precious-metal containing dust-like material is generated. When present in this
concentrated form, this material can be toxic to exposed individuals (Gupta et al.
2008 ). Other substances in E-waste that are found in large quantities include epoxy
resins, iber glass, PCBs, PVC, lead, tin, copper, silicon, beryllium, carbon, iron, and
aluminum, as well as thermosetting plastics. Elements that are found in small amounts
include cadmium, mercury, and thallium (Electronic Waste 2009 ). In addition, certain