Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Primitive Techniques Used in Recycling E-Waste
Primitive.techniques.are.used.to.recycle.WEEE,.which.include.(1).baking.elec-
tronic. boards. on. top. of. an. open. ire. (using. homemade. honeycomb-shaped.
coals,. a. low-grade. fuel.often.made. by. mixing. coal. with. local. contaminated.
sediment),. in. order. to. separate. the. components. and. chips. more. effectively..
This. is. usually. carried. out. in. houses. partially. converted. into. small-sized.
workshops,.with.workers.equipped.with.only.minimal.or.no.health.protec-
tion.measures,.where.inhalation.of.noxious.acid.fumes.is.a.severe.health.haz-
ard;.(2).stripping.of.gold.from.chips.and.other.components.using.strong.acids,.
with.the.treated.waste.haphazardly.dumped.along.river.banks,.leading.to.high.
acidity.and.dissolved.metals.in.the.sediment.and.river.water;.(3).open.burn-
ing.of.PVC-insulated.cable.wires.(to.extract.copper),.computer.casings,.and.all.
materials.that.no.longer.possess.any.value,.resulting.in.the.emission.of.lame.
retardants.(such.as.polybrominated.diphenyl.ethers,.PBDEs),.chlorinated.and.
brominated.dibenzo-
p
-dioxins.and.dibenzofurans.(PCDD/Fs,.PBDD/Fs),.and.
polycyclic.aromatic.hydrocarbons.(PAHs)..Many.of.these.toxic.chemicals.are.
listed.in.the.Stockholm.Convention.on.Persistent.Organic.Pollutants.because.
they.are.toxic,.persistent,.undergo.long-range.transport,.and.can.bioaccumu-
late. in. the. body. (Secretariat. of. the. Stockholm. Convention-United. Nations.
Environment.Programme.2009)..There.has.been.substantial.evidence.show-
ing.that.the.export.of.toxic.chemicals.from.industrialized.countries.to.devel-
oping.countries.exerts.harmful.effects.on.the.environment.and.human.health.
of.those.countries.receiving.e-waste.(Wong.et.al..2007).
The.so-called.recycling.of.e-waste.in.China.and.in.other.countries.such.
as.India,.Africa,.and.Pakistan.is.largely.unregulated.and.conducted.using.
rudimentary.techniques..The.illegal.transport.of.e-waste.from.developed.
countries. to. developing. countries,. thereby. transcending. international.
boundaries,. has. made. e-waste. recycling. a. global,. twenty-irst-century.
problem,. which. is. caused. by. the. use. of. highly. inadequate,. rudimentary.
nineteenth-century.methods.at.recycling.sites..The.majority.of.the.work-
ers.do.not.know.the.extent.of.the.harm.that.e-waste.recycling.has.on.their.
health. and. that. of. the. younger. generation. and. they. have. no. means. of.
protecting.themselves..The.informal.recycling.of.WEEE.has.deep-rooted.
environmental,.social,.and.economic.implications.(Williams.et.al..2008).
Major Objectives
This.chapter.reviews.(1).the.effects.of.different.toxic.chemicals.emitted.during.
uncontrolled.e-waste.recycling.and.their.potential.health.effects,.by.study-
ing.the.relationships.between.concentrations.of.different.toxic.chemicals.in.
different.ecological.compartments,.and.food,.linking.with.body.burden.and.
epidemiological.data,.and.(2).the.effectiveness.of.international.and.national.
regulations.in.controlling.e-waste.recycling.practices.that.use.primitive.tech-
niques.and.emit.toxic.chemicals.
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