waste not, want not! (wn) 2 institute environmental issues of e-waste

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT! (WN)WASTE NOT, WANT NOT! (WN)22 INSTITUTEINSTITUTE

Environmental Issues of E-Waste Environmental Issues of E-Waste

Train-the-Trainer WorkshopTrain-the-Trainer Workshop

June 14 – 18th, 2004

Center for Mathematics and Science Education

University of Arkansas - Fayetteville

Presented and Hosted

by

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded institute sponsored by the University of Arkansas and the Center for Mathematics and Science Education

Lynne HehrDirector, Center for Mathematics and Science Education

University of Arkansas

Stephan PollardDoctoral Student, Environmental Dynamics Ph.D. Program


ELECTRONIC WASTEELECTRONIC WASTE(E-Waste)(E-Waste)

Problems OverviewProblems Overview

Presented as part of

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT (WN)2: Environmental Issues of Waste Disposal

Stephan PollardEnvironmental Dynamics Program


June 14, 2004, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

ELECTRONIC WASTE – A GROWING PHENOMENON• Over 20,000,000 PCs became obsolete in the US in 1998

• Between 1997 and 2007, nearly 500,000,000 PCs will become obsolete – almost two for every man, woman, and child in the United States.

• People and businesses store their TVs, monitors, printers, and other electronic equipment in attics, basements, and warehouses thinking they may still be valuable (Ex. Chicago Public School’s 18,000 pieces of obsolete equipment stored in 600 schools around the city)

See http://www.nrc-recycle.org/resources/electronics/managing.htm, INFORM’s ‘Calling All Cell Phones,’ 2003, and http://www.wastenews.com/headlines2.html?id=1086806836

• By 2005 over 100,000,000 cell phones will be retired annually!

• By 2005, 500,000,000 cell phones weighing over 250,000 tons will be stockpiled and awaiting disposal

• While end-of-life electronics currently comprise only a small amount (1 to 2 percent) of the municipal waste stream, that percentage is expected to grow

dramatically in the next few years.

• Electronic products often contain hazardous and toxic materials that pose environmental risks if they are landfilled or incinerated.

1. the volume of computers and related electronic equipment improperly disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills

2. the toxicity of both the computer manufacturing process and the computer and CRT itself as a waste product

3. the shipping of discarded computers to such countries as China, Vietnam, India, and Pakistan where children and adults pick apart the toxic innards

ELECTRONIC WASTE - CONCERNS

ELECTRONIC versus ELECTRICWhat are we talking about?

ELECTRONIC ITEMSProcess and display information and possess complex circuitry, circuit boards, or signal processing.

TelevisionsProjection TVHDTVLCD TVTV/VCR CombinationsVideocassette PlayersVCR DecksCamcordersLaserdiscs PlayersDVD PlayersTV/PC CombinationsDigital CamerasOTHER

Rack Audio SystemsCompact Audio SystemsPortable CD PlayersPortable Headset AudioTotal CD PlayersHome RadiosTape DecksAmplifiersTunersHome Theater in a BoxOTHER

Cordless/Corded TelephonesWireless TelephonesTel. Answering MachinesFax MachinesPersonal Word ProcessorsPersonal ComputersComputer PrintersComputer MonitorsModems/Fax ModemsAppliances w/Info DisplaysPagersRadar DetectorsElectronic GamesCalculatorsDigital ThermostatsOTHER

Video Products Audio Products Information Products

ELECTRONIC versus ELECTRICWhat are we talking about?

ELECTRIC ITEMSUse electricity to operate but do not display or process information.

Power toolsBlenders, Toasters, Frying PansCoffee Makers without TimersIronsCurling IronsMajor Appliances without TimersLight BulbsElectric Space HeatersElectric Pianos and OrgansManual ThermostatsElectric ToothbrushesElectric RazorsRefrigerators and FreezersCentral Air ConditionersOTHERS

XX

X

XX

Mercury

X

X

LeadXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Contain Hazardous Waste

See http://www.nwf.org/mercury/tour.cfm for more mercury containing household items.

SPECIFIC DANGERS of ELECTRONIC WASTE

Lead• Toxic to _______________________________________________

• Consumer electronics constitute 40% of lead found in landfills

• Main application of lead in computers -

___________________________

____________________________________________

soldering of printed circuit boards

glass panels in computer monitors (cathode ray tubes)

• Over the past eight years over 315 million computers became obsolete in the USA.

How many pounds of lead do you think this amounts to? ___________________1,200,000,000 pounds!

can leach & contaminate drinking water supplies

nervous & reproductive systems, kidneys, & inhibits mental development of young children & fetuses

• Main concern - _______________________________________

See http://www.retrosystems.com/problems.htm and http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/pubs/poisonpc.htm for more detail.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2002/disposable_planet/waste/chinese_workshop/5.stm

Single samples taken by the BAN researchers in the region tested:

LEAD - 190 times the World Health Organization's safe level

CHROMIUM - 1338 times the level deemed safe in the US

TIN - 152 times the US threshold.

Cathode ray tubes sit by river edge in Guiyu, China .

Young woman about to break the gun off a cathode ray tube to get the copper wire from the yoke.

CRT GLASSContains lead oxide – classed as a hazardous waste under the International Basel Convention.

Basel Convention - United Nations treaty banning the export of e-waste to developing countries. Although 41 nations have ratified the convention, the U.S. has not. Therefore, U.S. companies aren't bound by it.

Photo: By Stefan Irvine

CRTs are PARTICULARLY PROBLEMATIC

Source: Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC), 1996 Electronics Industry Environmental Roadmap, MCC Information Center, Austin, 1996.

Lead Content of CRT Glass Components by Mass (MCC 1996)

Glass Color CRT Monochrome CRT

Panel 0% - 3% 0% - 3%

Funnel 24% 4%

Neck 30% 30%

Frit 70% N/A

• Computer monitors contain, on average, 2-5 pounds of lead

• Lead in frit usually tests to be hazardous waste using TCLP procedure

• Weak market for glass with high lead content

• CRTs represent ~1/3 of electronics tonnage

• Lead content may represent as much as 80% of toxic metals in discarded electronics

• When landfilled increased concentrations of heavy metals may result – lead in frit readily leaches

• When incinerated heavy metals become concentrated in ash limiting disposal and reuse options

• TV’s, have on average, 4-8 pounds of lead (depending on age and size)



Cadmium• Can cause damage to ________________________________

• Main concerns - ____________________________________________

____________________________________________

• Main applications of cadmium in electronic & electrical equipment -

_______________________________________________________

__________________________

___________________

Surface Mount Device (SMD) chip resistors, infrared detectors, semi-conductors, & batteries

older types of cathode ray tubes


How many pounds of cadmium do you think this amounts to? ________________2,000,000 pounds!

can leach & contaminate food & drinking water supplies

lungs & kidneys & harm to fragile bones

used as plastic stabilizer

can become airborne & absorbed through respiration


Mercury• Can cause damage to ___________________________________

• Main concerns - ____________________________________________

• Main applications of mercury in electronic & electrical equipment -

_____________________________________________________________

_______

____________

____________________________________________________________

thermostats, position sensors, relays, circuit boards, & measuring equipment


How many pounds of mercury do you think this amounts to? ______________400,000 pounds!

can leach & contaminate food & drinking water supplies

brain & kidneys & harm the developing fetus

batteries

mobile phones

discharge lamps (flourescent lamps & other mercury vapor pressure lamps)


DISCARDED PHONES• By 2005 more than 500,000,000 cell phones weighing over 500,000,000 pounds will be stockpiled in closets and drawers and awaiting disposal

• When burned - pollutes air with dioxins and furans

• When landfilled - contaminates ground water

CELL PHONES CONTAIN: antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc – persistent, bioaccumulative toxins

See http://www.informinc.org/calling_cellphones.php for more detail.

• Thus far less than 1 percent of the millions of cell phones retired and discarded each year have been collected.

Most Toxics are in:

1. Printed wiring boards

2. Liquid-crystal displays


Hexavalent Chromium (Chromium VI)• Can cause ________________________________________________________

• Main concerns - __________________________________

________________________________

• Main applications of hexavalent chromium in electronic & electrical equipment -

___________________________________________

_________________________________

corrosion protection of untreated and galvanized steel


How many pounds of chromium do you think this amounts to? ________________1,200,000 pounds!

can leach from landfilled incinerator fly ash

lung cancer, permanent eye damage, & ulcers in the nose and on skin

decorative and hardener for steel housing

exposure during manufacturing process



Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)• Can cause _________________________________________________________

• Main concerns - ________________________________________

___________________________________________________

• Main applications of PVC in electronic & electrical equipment -

___________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

cable & wiring cover (for its fire retardant properties)

• The largest volume of plastics used in electronics manufacturing was PVC (at 26%).

How many pounds of PVC are there in the 1,000,000,000 pounds of plastic scrap produced yearly by the electronics industry? __________________260,000,000 pounds!

incineration produces toxic dioxins – carcinogenic!

endocrine disruption, reproductive abnormalities, neurological problems, infertility, & death when incinerated fumes are inhaled

older computer housings (newer computers are made with ABS plastic)

burn barrels/open burning of PVC can produce large amounts of dioxins



See http://www.retrosystems.com/problems.htm, http://www.svtc.org/hu_health/edcs/bfrs/pbdes/BFRPres2_files/frame.htm, http://www.computertakeback.com/the_problem/bfr.cfm for more detail.

Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) – Four types: PDBEs, PBB, TBBPA, HBCD• May cause __________________________________________________________

• Main concerns - ____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

• Main applications of brominated flame retardants in electronic & electrical equipment

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

printed circuit boards, connectors, plastic covers, & cables

dust containing toxic flame-retardants generated from usage of electronic and electrical equipment and the recycling and disposal of the waste is spread into the air

nuero-developmental deficits, intellectual impairment, shortened lactation

plastic covers of TV sets & in domestic kitchen appliances

burning or heating of some brominated flame-retardants produces toxic dioxins & furans


Concerning the monitors how many pounds of brominated flame-retardants do you think this amounts to? __________________350,000,000 pounds! What about the CPUs & wiring boards?

US women have the highest breast milk concentrations of PDBE

14% Aluminum

What’s your Personal Computer made of?

1% Nickel

6% Lead 2% Zinc

25% Silica 23% Plastic

1% Tin 25% Iron

7% Copper

<1% Chromium, Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury, Gold, Titanium, Silver, Manganese, Antimony, and Platinum

Source: California’s Electronic Hazardous Waste Regulations, presented by Karl Palmer at the UC Irving: Industrial Ecology Symposium: Seminar on Electronic Design, Manufacturing, and the Environment, April 4, 2003.

Produces dioxins & furans from combustion of

1. Polyvinyl Chloride

2. Brominated Flame-Retardants

EXTRACTING SOLDER, STEEL, & COPPER

India

VietnamChina

WIRE and CIRCUIT BOARD BURNING

waste not, want not! (wn) 2 institute environmental issues of e-waste

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