E-WASTE AND ENVIRONMENT: AN EVALUATION
Dr. V.K.L. Srivastav, Santosh Kumar
Electronic waste is an emerging environmental and health issue not only in India but also in the whole world, E-waste includes gadgets like PCs faxes, smartphone, tablets, laptop video games, cameras, mobile phones, music players, T.V., radio, washing machines, refrigerators, remote etc. The situation has been become very alarming as our country generates about 1.5 lakh tones of e-waste annually. Metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore etc. are at high risk of environmental pollution because of e-waste. The amount of e-waste generated poses a grave threat to the environmental as well as to public health. When e-waste wormed up toxic chemicals are released into the air polluting the atmosphere effects human health such as inflammation and oxidative stress, precursors to cardiovascular diseases, DNA damage and possibly cancer, damage to the immune system, interference with regulatory hormones, throat, eye problems, kidney damage, hamper brain development in children etc. E-waste is very harmful because it is connected health which is connected wit harmful materials like lead, cadmium, brominates flame retardants or polychlorinated biphenyls.
According to environmental protection agency, June 17, 2004 computers and computer monitors in the unite states are the major source of unnecessary production of millions of tons of green houses gases every year. Thus the united states and china generated the most e-waste last year 32 percent of the word's total However hazardous environmental problem can be solved to recycle e-waste. But recycling industries are facing various problems which are: poorly trained employees, employee retention cultural issues, lack of industry expertise poor or non existent process etc. India is ill equipped in skilled labor to handle e-waste recycling. Only 1.5 percent of e-waste generated in India get recycled. Maharastra ranks highest in producing e-waste India followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and Karnataka in the ‘amount of E-waste generated. In order to overcome the problem, recycle e-waste, don't throw e-waste in the trash, reuse, donate old electronics sale old electronics, etc.
Electronic waste is an emerging environmental and health issue not only in India but also in the whole world, E-waste includes gadgets like PCs faxes, smartphone, tablets, laptop video games, camer...