In order to stay relevant and operational in the market, a lot of businesses today have to rely on electronics. With the increasing demands on business, the need for electronics also increases. Businesses increasingly look for smartest and fastest technologies that can effectively handle their everyday workload. With the increasing speed of technological innovation in the society, one needs to be careful of the way in which they dispose of their electronics when they reach their end of life. It is vital that services of electronic recycling and end of life hardware destruction are utilized to get rid of the electronic waste responsibly. Let us have a look into what e-waste is and how it impacts the environment and our health:
Insight into e-waste
Electronic waste or e-waste denotes any electronic device that is no longer functional or useful and has become obsolete. E-waste is considered to be one the fastest growing streams of waste across the world. It comprises of all the unusable, broken and outdated/obsolete components, devices and materials. E-waste also comprises of items that can be effectively recycled with the help of an electronic recycling program that includes electronics that can be easily reused, recycled, salvaged or resold.
The harmful effects of electronic waste
A lot of people get a false sense of security with their electronics. They are unaware of the harmful effects that accompany their old electronics. They think that their obsolete devices are non-hazardous. However, this is not the case. The seemingly benign exterior and the sleek surfaces of the old electronics do not portray them as stuff that can present any harm to our health or to the health of the environment. The exterior might mislead you into believing that the substances are safe but it is the interior that makes the e-waste so dangerous.
The inside of the electronic waste contains harmful substances like lead, mercury, beryllium, arsenic, cadmium and brominated flame retardants. These substances can pose serious health concerns if they are not handled carefully with the help of an electronic recycling provider. The substances can cause severe illnesses, neurological damage and organ damage. The issues are a grave risk to the workers who directly handle electronic waste and present a threat to the communities that are shipped superfluous electronic waste.
Impact of e-waste on the environment
Electronic waste has a negative impact on the water, soil and air of the earth.
Impact on water
Electronics like computer batteries and mobile contain heavy metals like mercury, lithium, barium and lead. When these contaminants are disposed of in a landfill or handled improperly, they can leak into the soil and ultimately reach the groundwater. Once they reach groundwater, heavy metals make their way into ponds, lakes, rivers and streams. The heavy metals lead to the toxicity of the water tables and they become unfeasible for plants, animals and communities that depend on them.
Impact on soil
Soil acts as medium by which heavy metals get water and thus is affected by the harmful contaminants. E-waste leads to a negative impact on the soil which ultimately affects the crop and the food. When soil gets contaminated by heavy metals that seep out of electronic waste, the crops and the food is impacted negatively. This leads to illnesses in humans.
Impact on the atmosphere
Many utilize the burning of electronic waste as a way of disposing it of or of extracting valuable metals like copper from it. Nevertheless, the burning of electronic devices like computer monitors can result in the release of pollutants like heavy metals, brominated dioxins and hydrocarbons into the air. This affects the air quality and our health. Thus, it is vital that electronic recycling services are utilized to handle e-waste reliably.
