An Overview Of The Harmful Materials In Electronics And Why It Is So Vital To Recycle Electronics

You should recycle Electronics To help Preserve the environment from dangerous chemicals. When electronics with screens Such as TVs, computer monitors and portable DVD players break, toxic materials get released into the air. toxic substances such as Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, Antimony, Cadmium, PVC, Brominated flame retardants and Beryllium These toxic substances can enter the groundwater and can potentially be damaging to the ecosystem.

Some Quick Facts about Electronic Waste to get you started:

* The United States currently dumps between 300 million and 400 million electronic items per year

* The European Union banned e-waste from landfills In the 1990s. current laws in Europe make manufacturers responsible for e-waste disposal.

* electronic waste is only a tiny portion of America's trash in landfills, but it equals about three quarters of overall the toxic waste.

* less than one fifth of that electronic waste gets recycled.

* About 50 million cell phones get replaced worldwide monthly, yet only 10% get recycled.

* If we recycled just a small portion of those cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to removing over 1,000 cars from the road for a year.

E-Waste contains a lot of different poisons we are putting into our environment.

* Beryllium

used in significant portions of electrical connectors and battery contacts Long term exposure can cause cancer of the lungs. Extreme exposure can lead to a potentially fatal condition known as Acute Beryllium Disease

* Lead

Used primarily in soldering and glass for CRT monitors and TVs. it is Present on circuit boards as well as other parts. Lead is Greatly harmful to the human body. Can Damage central nervous system lead can cause retardation, seizures, high blood pressure, and damage to the kidneys and liver. it also has a negative effect on early child development.

* Arsenic

Used in some integrated circuits and semiconductors. a potent poison. Arsenic Can cause serious damage to the digestive system.

* Mercury

Can be Present in Most circuit boards and batteries. Attacks both the endocrine system and the central nervous system and is Harmful to the mouth, Damages both teeth and gums Mercury exposure is also potentially damaging to the brain development of the unborn.

* Cadmium

Used for most soldering, semiconductors and chip resistors Cadmium is Potentially carcinogenic Repeated exposure can damage the lungs, kidneys and liver.

* Antimony

Pure antimony gets used in semiconductor production. it is also Used to produce of diodes and batteries. Although less infamous Antimony is Toxic to humans similar to how arsenic is. Antimony is fatal in a large enough dose.

Please Remember to recycle your E-waste Since Disposing of a lot of electronics improperly is against the law. it is now against the law to toss items such as Power Transformers, Lead Acid Batteries, CRT TVs, CRT Monitors, Microwaves, Printers, and Copiers in the trash because of the poisonous materials they contain.