In recent years, the global electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) market has grown exponentially, and the service life of these products has become shorter and shorter. More of these products end up in garbage dumps and e waste pickup, posing new challenges for policy makers. The purpose of this article is to review the problem of e-waste and propose an estimation technique to calculate the growth of e-waste.
The Environmental Impact of E-Waste
Electronic waste is waste from various electronic products, from computers and mobile phones to household electronic products such as food processors, presses, cooking utensils, etc.
The impact of such improper electronic waste disposal on the environment is little known; nonetheless, these impacts pose a very real threat and danger to the entire global environment.
The Threat of E-Waste to the Environment.
Improper handling of these e-wastes will affect the soil, air and water components in the environment.
Impact on the Air
One of the most common effects of e-waste on the air is air pollution. For example, a British documentary about Lagos and its residents, titled "Welcome to Lagos", shows many landfill scavengers looking for improperly disposed electronics in many landfills in Lagos. Products, including wires, mixers, etc., to earn some income from landfills. Recycle these wastes. These people have been shown to be able to release hydrocarbons into the air by burning in the open air, thereby burning wires to obtain copper (a very valuable commodity).
Impact on Water
When electronic products containing heavy metals such as lead, barium, mercury, and lithium (in mobile phones and computer batteries) are not handled properly, these heavy metals will leach out of the soil, reach underground water channels, and eventually flow to the surface or small ponds in the form of streams. Local communities usually rely on these bodies of water and groundwater. In addition to these chemicals causing the death of some plants and animals in the water, the ingestion of polluted water by humans and terrestrial animals can also cause lead poisoning. Some of these heavy metals are also carcinogenic.
Impact on the Soil
In this way, toxic heavy metals and chemical substances from e-waste enter the "soil-crop-food pathway", which is one of the most important ways for heavy metals to reach humans. These chemicals are not biodegradable-they persist in the environment for a long time, increasing the risk of exposure.
These environmental hazards caused by improper e waste disposal companies in India will eventually affect humans-labor costs; the health effects of these toxins on humans include birth defects (irreversible), brain, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal system damage. They also significantly affect the body's nervous and reproductive systems. When computer monitors and other electronic devices are burned, they produce carcinogenic dioxins, which are released into the air we breathe. If electronic products are thrown into landfills, these toxins may seep into groundwater and affect local resources. Therefore, improper disposal of electronic waste will not only affect the environment, but also indirectly and ultimately pose a serious danger to humans and livestock.
So, now that we have understood the environmental impact of improper disposal of e-waste, how can we properly dispose of this e-waste to protect the environment?
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