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| Thursday, 26 August 2004 |
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Our legacy: computer junk by Chandana S. Jayakody Centre for Environmental Justice
Computer junk is growing at an escalating rate all over the world and consumers do not know what to do with it. The lifespan of computers is decreasing. In 1997 the average lifespan of a computer tower was 4-6 years and computer monitors 6-7 years. This will soon fall to 2 years before 2005. By the year 2005, one computer will become obsolete for every new one put on the market. Millions of used computers are dumped, incinerated, shipped as waste exports or put into temporary storage in attics, basements, etc. The majority of these computers were shipped abroad to Asian countries such as Sri Lanka. The issue of what to do with so-called "end-of-life" electronics has been gathering steam since the mid 1990s and seems set to have come to a head. PCs in particular, with an average life span of just a few years, are going out of service faster than they are being produced. By 2005, more than 63 million PCs will be retired, according to a recent study by the National Safety Council, USA. More than 20 million PCs became obsolete in the United States alone, of which only 2.3 million units, or 11 percent, will be recycled. Confronted with rising expectations that they should do something about aging machines, several top PC and consumer electronics companies have launched recycling and reuse programs. Currently, the useful life of a computer is three to five years and shrinking, and advances are rapidly rendering formerly cutting-edge electronics obsolete. In fact, Sri Lanka is also becoming a grave yard for dead technology. The worse news is that surely one can find a way to make some money here by importing obsolete machines which only has an antique value. It is hard to believe that these re-sellers are even selling machines as old as 20 years. These computers must have definitely been picked up from junk yards. Most of these machines are not compatible with new operating systems and utility software. No matter how cheap they are these machines have come here to die. These abundant computers and other refurbished electronic equipments are on their way of making Sri Lanka's newest environmental issues. There are a lot of health problems related to following e-toxics found in computers. Lead can cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, blood system and kidneys in humans. Effects on the endocrine system have also been observed and its serious negative effects on children's brain development has been well documented. Lead accumulates in the environment and has high acute and chronic toxic effects on plants, animals and microorganisms. Consumer electronics constitute 40% of lead found in landfills. The main concern in regard to the presence of lead in landfills is the potential for the lead to leach and contaminate drinking water supplies. The main applications of lead in computers are, soldering of printed circuit boards and other electronic components, glass panels in computer monitors (Cathode-Ray Tubes) (Between 1997) and 2004, over 315 million computers will become obsolete in USA. This adds up to about 547.2 million kilograms of lead) Cadmium Cadmium compounds are classified as toxic with a possible risk of irreversible effects on human health. Cadmium and cadmium compounds accumulate in the human body, in particular in kidneys. Cadmium is absorbed through respiration but is also taken up with food. Due to the long half-life (30 years), cadmium can easily be accumulated in amounts that cause symptoms of poisoning. Cadmium shows a danger of cumulative effects in the environment due to its acute and chronic toxicity. In electrical and electronic equipment, cadmium occurs in certain components such as SMD chip resistors, infrared detectors and semiconductors. Older types of cathode- ray tubes contain cadmium. Furthermore, cadmium is used as a plastic stabilizer. (Between 1997 to 2004 over 315 million computers will become obsolete and this represents almost 0.912 million kilograms of cadmium content.) Mercury: When inorganic mercury spreads out in the water, it is transformed to methylated mercury in the bottom sediments. Methylated mercury easily accumulates in living organisms and concentrates through the food chain particularly via fish. Methylated mercury causes chronic damage to the brain. It is estimated that 22% of the yearly world consumption of mercury is used in electrical and electronic equipment. It is basically used in thermostats, (position) sensors, relays and switches (e.g. on printed circuit boards and in measuring equipment) and discharge lamps. Furthermore, it is used in medical equipment, data transmission, telecommunications, and mobile phones. Mercury is also used in batteries, switches/housing, and printed wiring boards. (Although this amount is small for any single component, 315 million obsolete computers by the year 2004 represent more than 182,400 kilograms of mercury in total.) Plastics Based on the calculation that more than 315 million computers will become obsolete between 1997 and 2004 and that plastics make up 6.30 kilo grams per computer on average, there will be more than 1824 million kilo grams of plastic present in this computer waste. An analysis commissioned by the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) estimated that the total electronics plastic scrap amounted to more than 456 million kilograms per year (580,000 tons per year). This same study estimated that the largest volume of plastics used in electronics manufacturing (at 26%) was polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which creates more environmental and health hazards than most other types of plastic. While many computer companies have recently reduced or phased out the use of PVC, there is still a huge volume of PVC contained in the computer scrap that continues to grow potentially upto 114 million kilograms per year. PVC The use of PVC in computers has been mainly used in cabling and computer housings, although most computer moldings are now being made of ABS plastic. PVC cabling is used for its fire retardant properties, but there are concerns that once alight, fumes from PVC cabling can be a major contributor to fatalities and hence there are pressures to switch to alternatives for safety reasons. Such alternatives are low-density polyethylene and thermoplastic olefins. PVC is a difficult plastic to recycle and it contaminates other plastics in the recycling process. Of more importance, however, the production and burning of PVC products generates dioxins and furans. This plastic commonly used in packaging and household products is a major cause of dioxin formation in open burning and garbage incinerators. Hospitals are now beginning to phase out the use of PVC products such as disposal gloves and IV bags because of the dangers of incinerating these products. Many local authorities in Europe have PVC-free policies for municipal buildings, pipes, wallpaper, flooring, windows and packaging. Recent concerns about the use of softeners in PVC plastic toys leaching out into children's mouths have led to further restrictions on PVC. We seem to have established an economy where disposability is a natural by-product. We no longer have a TV set with the "works in a drawer," as was the case two decades ago. Now the entire TV is on a few chips hooked to a power supply and CRT. If something goes wrong, the chip set can't be inexpensively replaced. Besides, to save costs, the chips are made impossible to remove. Typically, with any of today's appliances, it costs more to fix something than simply to buy something new. So things get thrown out as at no other time in history. If product failure doesn't get you, product obsolescence will. In most cases, PCs are merely chopped up and sent to a dump. End-of-life electronics pose serious issues regarding proper disposal and potential environmental consequences. When we throw away old electronic equipment, we're throwing away resources and generating pollution. The sad part is that when you go to a place that actually does try to recycle older machines by donating them to schools, you find a nightmarish scene. There are always piles and piles of machines Junkers. It also takes specialized skills to get old machines to work with the newer add-ins and software. And let's not even touch on the older printers and other peripherals, let alone the billions of plastic CD-ROMs and old floppy disks ending up in landfills. This appears to be our legacy for the archaeologists a thousand years from now. Instead of the art and pottery, they'll find strange boxes - millions of them, along with once-shiny disks by the billions. You can only imagine what they'll be thinking. Then again, may be someone in the future will think of a way to recycle all this stuff. Apparently we can't. Yet together we can wish and work towards one thing. All desktop PCs, whether they're beige, black or blueberry, may all soon be a little bit greener. |
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