Heavy Metals and E-waste
Today the earth is facing a crisis, and as a population we should be doing everything we can to try and solve it. Many things are contributing to this crisis but one big factor is heavy metals and e-waste. Heavy metals are any metallic chemical element that has a relatively high density and is toxic at low concentrations. Examples of heavy metals include mercury, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, thallium, and lead. Heavy metal poisoning can cause, developmental delays, nausea, learning disabilities, slow growth, loss of appetite, hyperactivity, chronic headaches, insomnia, memory loss, and in high levels it can cause death. E-waste, or electronic waste, is any discarded electronic devices including cell phones, laptops, and tvs. Any used electronics that are destined for resale, reuse, recycling, or disposal is considered to be e-waste. If not disposed of properly e-waste can be very dangerous to the earth and to humans, however only around 30% is recycled and out of that only 15% is recycled safely.
Heavy metals are used in all electronics, and can be found in almost every component. Cadmium is used in rechargeable computer batteries, contacts and switches, mercury is used in the liquid crystal displays of mobile phones and flat screen computer monitors, lead is used in the cathode ray tubes found in computer and TV screens and soldering, and nickel is used in some mobile phones’ circuit boards
E-waste is a major problem because electronics have heavy metals in them. These elements are dangerous to humans and the earth, and when electronics are not disposed of properly these chemicals and heavy metals can leach into the ground. Most electronic waste is not recycled properly and is therefore wreaking havoc on the environment and the citizens living in “e-waste disposal sites”.
Guiyu, China is the home for one of the biggest e-waste disposal sites in the world. The government leaves piles and piles of electronics for the townspeople to take valuable parts from and then dispose of the rest. This process consists of old electronics sitting on the ground for prolonged periods of time and burning various parts of the electronics. The easiest way to expose copper wire, and other valuable components is by burning piles of old electronics, this causes dangerous chemicals to be released into the air, causing lung damage, chronic headaches, and sometimes blindness. The fact that the electronics sit on the ground allows some of these toxic chemicals and heavy metals to leach into the ground and water supplies. This has caused 80% of children to have lead poisoning, some of the highest miscarriage rates in the world, lung damage, the water and farmland to be unusable, and many more problems.
Heavy metals and e-waste is the perfect problem for STEAM. New cell phone and computer designs need to be created for more sustainable phones. On average cell phones are only kept for about 18 months, so creating a phone that would last longer, and that people would want to keep longer would help control the problem. Ways to safely retrieve and reuse the heavy metals found in electronics need to be implemented in more locations. It is up to electronic engineers to create more sustainable electronic devices, and to create phones that will last longer. Scientists need to learn more about the environmental effects, and find ways to reuse the elements inside these devices.
Heavy metals are used in all electronics, and can be found in almost every component. Cadmium is used in rechargeable computer batteries, contacts and switches, mercury is used in the liquid crystal displays of mobile phones and flat screen computer monitors, lead is used in the cathode ray tubes found in computer and TV screens and soldering, and nickel is used in some mobile phones’ circuit boards
E-waste is a major problem because electronics have heavy metals in them. These elements are dangerous to humans and the earth, and when electronics are not disposed of properly these chemicals and heavy metals can leach into the ground. Most electronic waste is not recycled properly and is therefore wreaking havoc on the environment and the citizens living in “e-waste disposal sites”.
Guiyu, China is the home for one of the biggest e-waste disposal sites in the world. The government leaves piles and piles of electronics for the townspeople to take valuable parts from and then dispose of the rest. This process consists of old electronics sitting on the ground for prolonged periods of time and burning various parts of the electronics. The easiest way to expose copper wire, and other valuable components is by burning piles of old electronics, this causes dangerous chemicals to be released into the air, causing lung damage, chronic headaches, and sometimes blindness. The fact that the electronics sit on the ground allows some of these toxic chemicals and heavy metals to leach into the ground and water supplies. This has caused 80% of children to have lead poisoning, some of the highest miscarriage rates in the world, lung damage, the water and farmland to be unusable, and many more problems.
Heavy metals and e-waste is the perfect problem for STEAM. New cell phone and computer designs need to be created for more sustainable phones. On average cell phones are only kept for about 18 months, so creating a phone that would last longer, and that people would want to keep longer would help control the problem. Ways to safely retrieve and reuse the heavy metals found in electronics need to be implemented in more locations. It is up to electronic engineers to create more sustainable electronic devices, and to create phones that will last longer. Scientists need to learn more about the environmental effects, and find ways to reuse the elements inside these devices.
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