The Electronics Industry
The electronics industry is the largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry the world has seen. It has been hailed as the 'clean industry', with little pollution, reduced paper use, and less communication infrastructure. None of these anticipated benefits have eventuated. Whilst the electronics industry has the potential to bring considerable good to the earth and its people whereby it better serves social and environmental needs and empowers communities and workers, it has a dark side. Environmental, labour and human rights issues figure prominently in this dark side.
Most people acknowledge that the high-tech revolution has dramatically transformed late 20th century living. Few people realise the extent of the dark side. Electronics manufacturing and use harms people's health and the environment that sustains all life. Electronic computer hardware is a complicated aggregate of more than 1,000 materials, many of which are highly toxic, such as chlorinated and brominated substances, toxic gases, toxic metals, photo-active and biologically active materials, acids, plastics, and plastic additives.
The toxic materials make electronics equipment hazardous waste once they have passed their use date. Most electronic equipment quickly becomes obsolete - computers become obsolete after 2 years. Most homes in the west have at least 2 obsolete computers somewhere in their storage eg garage, cupboards, basements. Most people don't know what to do with their old computers. They become e-waste. Most e-waste is landfilled, incinerated, exported, or just abandoned in storage. With the development and rising popularity of DVD players, high-resolution television, and digital flat-screen monitors, traditional television sets and VHS players are also beginning to fill landfills, contaminating incinerator feedstocks and adding to waste exports to developing countries, where environmental recycling and disposal standards are often non-existent or ignored.
E-waste is the fastest growing component of municipal waste. According to a study by the European Commission the rate of this growth is a factor of three. E-waste poses the most direct health risks when it degrades and the internal chemicals are released to the environment. Among the worst chemicals to be released are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and BRFs (brominated flame retardants). Most experts believe the full environmental impact of e-waste is just beginning to be fully realised.