E-Waste: Harmful Materials

Electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste currently found in landfills. In addition to valuable metals like aluminum, electronics often contain hazardous materials like mercury.

When placed in a landfill, these materials (even in small doses) can contaminate soil as well as drinking water. Here’s a breakdown of what toxic materials are found in an average electronic device.

Televisions

Back before there were plasma screen and liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs, we watched our Super Bowls and sitcoms on cathode ray tubes (CRT). While the CRT model effectively provided room for all switches and wires in a box behind the screen, it also stored a great deal of lead.

Approximately 20 percent of CRTs are comprised of lead, equivalent to between four and eight pounds per unit. Combine this with the fact that the FCC is requiring all televisions to run a digital signal by February 19, 2009, and we could be looking at a lot of lead headed for landfills. Even the smallest amounts of lead can be a serious environmental issue.

Cell Phones

While your trusty cell phone may not contain as much toxic material as larger electronic devices like TVs, its shelf life is only about 18 months for the average consumer. With hip new products coming out on a regular basis, it’s estimated there are over 500 million used cell phones ready for disposal.

Cell phone coatings are often made of lead, meaning that if these 500 million cell phones are disposed of in landfills, it will result in 312,000 pounds of lead released. However, possibly the most hazardous component of the cell phone is the battery.

Cell phone batteries were originally composed of nickel and cadmium (Ni-Cd batteries). Cadmium is listed as a human carcinogen that causes lung and liver damage. Alternatives contain potentially explosive lithium or toxic lead.

Computers

Lead is present in CRT computer monitors. Also, there are other toxic elements in play when you’re recycling that PC or Mac. Many laptops have a small fluorescent lamp in the screen that contains mercury, a toxic material when inhaled or digested.

Mercury is also contained in computer circuit boards, along with lead and cadmium. Circuit boards can also include batteries made of mercury, as well as mercury switches.

In 2005 alone, almost two million tons of e-waste were landfilled. While toxic materials comprise only a small amount of this volume, it doesn’t take much lead or mercury to contaminate an area’s soil or water supply. Keep this in mind when deciding what to do with those old electronic devices.