It is from soran University geology department

1. Electronic waste
Soran University
Faculty of Sciences
Department of Petroleum
Geosciences
4th Stage
Prepared by:
Muhammad Muhsin

2. Outline:
• Introduction.
• Where does it come from? And Causes.
• A global challenge.
• Composition of e-waste.
• Toxic substances present in e-waste.
• Environmental Impact of Electronic Waste.
• Effects on the environment.
• Effects on human health.
• Responsibilities of the Government.
• Sustainable product design.

3. Introduction
• Electronic waste or e-waste is any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic
appliance.
• E-waste includes computers, entertainment electronics, mobile phones and other
items that have been discarded by their original users.

4. Where does it come from? and Causes:
• Household and small businesses.
• Large businesses, institutions, and governments.
• E-waste is the most rapidly growing waste problem in the world.
• It is a crisis of not quantity alone but also a crisis born from toxic ingredients,
posing a threat to occupational health as well as the environment.
• Rapid technology change, changes in media (tapes, software, MP3), falling
prices, low initial cost, and high obsolescence rate have resulted in a fast-
growing problem around the globe.

5. A global challenge
• An estimated 50 million tons of E-waste are produced each year.
• The USA discards 30 million computers each year and 100 million phones are
disposed of in Europe each year.
• The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only 15-20% of e-waste is
recycled, the rest of these electronics go directly into landfills and incinerators
• the amount of e-waste being produced - including mobile phones and computers -
could rise by as much as 500 percent over the next decade in some countries, such
as India.
• The United States is the world leader in producing electronic waste, tossing away
about 3 million tons each year.
• China already produces about 2.3 million tons domestically. And, despite having
banned e-waste imports, China remains a major e-waste dumping ground for
developed countries.

6. Composition of e-waste

7. Toxic substances present in e-waste:

8. Environmental Impact of Electronic Waste:
• Mercury: Found in fluorescent tubes causes environmental effects in
animals include death, slower growth and development.
• Sulphur: Found in lead-acid batteries. Health effects include liver damage,
kidney damage, heart damage, eye and throat irritation. When released into
the environment, it can create sulphuric acid.
• Lead: Found in CRT monitor glass, lead-acid batteries, and some
formulations of PVC. Adverse effects of lead exposure include impaired
cognitive function, behavioral disturbances, attention deficits, hyperactivity.
• There is also evidence of DNA breaks which can increase the likelihood of
developing cancer.
• Elevated Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels can cause damage to cell
structures.

9. Effects on human health
• Damage to nervous systems, blood systems, and kidney damage.
• Affectson the brain development of children.
• Chronic damage to the brain.
• DNA damage.
• Immune system damage.
• Lung cancer.
• Damage to heart, liver, and spleen.

10. Effects on environment:
• Pollution of groundwater.
• Aciditfication of soil.
• Air pollution.

11. E-waste management:
• In industries management of e-waste should begin at the point of generation. This
can be done by waste minimization techniques and by sustainable product design.
Waste minimization in industries involves adopting:
• inventory management.
• production-process modification.
• volume reduction.
• recovery and reuse.

12. Responsibilities of the Government:
• Governments must encourage research into the development and standard of
hazardous waste management, environmental monitoring and the regulation
of hazardous waste-disposal.
• Governments should enforce strict regulations and heavy fines levied on
industries.
• Governments should explore opportunities to partner with manufacturers and
retailers to provide recycling services.

13. Responsibility and Role of industries:
• Use label materials to assist in recycling (particularly plastics).
• Standardize components for easy disassembly.
• Create computer components and peripherals of biodegradable materials.

14. China
India
West Africa
Pakistan

15. References:
• Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore - http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/).
• United Nations Environment Programme - http://www.unep.org
http:// wikipedia.org
• http://www.greenpeace.org/
• http://www.dosomething.org/