Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
contamination. risks.. Landill. leachates. can. potentially. transport. toxic.
substances. into. groundwater,. whereas. their. combustion. in. an. incinerator.
can. emit. toxic. gas. into. the. atmosphere.. Moreover,. even. recycling. e-waste.
can.distribute.hazardous.substances.into.the.environment.and.may.affect.
human.health..Although.there.are.more.than.1000.toxic.substances.associ-
ated. with. e-wastes,. the. more. commonly. reported. substances. include. the.
following:
•. Toxic.metals,.including.barium,.beryllium,.cadmium,.cobalt,.copper,.
iron,.lead,.lithium,.lanthanum,.mercury,.manganese,.molybdenum,.
nickel,.and.so.on
•. Neurotoxin,. carcinogens,. and. toxic. dioxins,. including. hexavalent.
chromium.and.brominated.lame.retardants,.and.PVC
ImpactsofE-Waste
The. rapid. growth. of. e-waste. and. the. effectiveness. of. its. management. will.
have.profound.impacts.on.the.environment.and.human.health.
Environment
E-waste.management.by.its.disposal.via.landills,.recycling,.or.incineration.
can.cause.hazardous.risks.to.the.environment..E-waste.disposal.in.landills.
is.seen.to.be.a.serious.problem.given.the.volume.of.material.disposed.and.
the.toxicity.of.many.substances.released.from.such.wastes..The.pollutants.
have. the. potential. to. migrate. through. soils. and. groundwater. within. and.
around.landill.sites.(Kasassi.et.al..2008)..Organic.and.putrescible.material.
in. landills. decomposes. and. is. transported. by. water. to. percolate. through.
soil.as.landill.leachate..Where.such.materials.have.been.incinerated.using.
tools. that. do. not. capture. emissions,. signiicant. levels. of. toxic. substances.
have.been.found.in.the.emissions..Such.toxic.substances.have.been.shown.
to. pose. risk. to. both. the. environment. and. the. people. at. the. site. and. also.
locations.in.and.around.the.site.due.to.the.movement.of.the.airborne.toxic.
substances.
Leachate.can.comprise.high.concentrations.of.dissolved.and.suspended.
organic.substances,.inorganic.compounds,.and.heavy.metals..However,.the.
concentration.of.toxic.substances.from.leachate.depends.on.the.waste.char-
acteristics.and.stages.of.waste.decomposition.in.a.particular.landill.(Qasim.
and. Chiang. 1994).. There. have. been. a. number. of. studies. that. investigated.
the.leachability.of.the.components.that.comprise.e-waste..The.leachability.
of.lead.from.cathode.ray.tubes.(CRTs).in.televisions.and.computer.monitors.
is.one.of.a.number.of.toxic.substances.that.can.leach.to.the.wider.ecosystem.
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