Increase in Electronic Waste Threatens the Health of Millions of Children, Warns WHO

Every year, millions of electrical and electronic devices are discarded when products break or become obsolete and are thrown away. These discarded devices are considered electronic waste and can become a threat to the environment and human health if not properly treated, discarded, and recycled.

Common items like computers, cell phones, large appliances, and medical equipment are classified as electronic waste.

Every year, millions of tons of electronic waste are recycled and stored improperly. When electronic waste is recycled incorrectly, it can release up to 1,000 different chemicals into the environment, including harmful neurotoxins such as lead.

Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable due to their unique exposure pathways and developmental state.

Contents

1. Data from the WHO Report
2. Impact of Electronic Waste on Human Health
3. Children Are the Most Vulnerable
4. A Rapidly Growing Problem
5. So, How Should We Properly Dispose of Electronic Waste and What Is the Recycling Process?

Data from the WHO Report

According to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), effective and urgent action is needed to protect millions of children, adolescents, and pregnant women worldwide whose health is compromised by the informal processing of discarded electrical or electronic devices.

“With increasing volumes of production and disposal, the world is facing what a recent international forum described as a growing ‘tsunami of electronic waste,’ putting lives and health at risk,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.

“Just as the world has united to protect the seas and their ecosystems from plastic and microplastic pollution, we need to unite to protect our most valuable resource – the health of our children – from the growing threat of electronic waste,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added.

Around 12.9 million women work in the informal waste collection sector, which potentially exposes them to toxic electronic waste and puts them and their unborn children at risk.

Meanwhile, over 18 million children and adolescents, some as young as 5 years old, are actively involved in the informal industrial sector, of which waste processing is a sub-sector.

Children are often involved by parents or caregivers in electronic waste recycling because their small hands are more skilled than adults’ at dismantling the smallest items.

Other children live, go to school, and play near electronic waste recycling centers, where high levels of toxic chemicals, mainly lead and mercury, can impair their intellectual abilities.

Children exposed to electronic waste are particularly vulnerable to the toxic chemicals they contain due to their smaller size, less developed organs, and rapid growth and development rate. They absorb more pollutants relative to their size and are less able to metabolize or eliminate toxic substances from their bodies.

Impact of Electronic Waste on Human Health

Workers seeking to recover valuable materials such as copper and gold are at risk of exposure to more than 1,000 harmful substances, including lead, mercury, nickel, brominated flame retardants, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

For a future mother, exposure to toxic electronic waste can affect the health and development of her unborn child for life.

Potential adverse health effects include negative birth outcomes such as stillbirths and preterm births, as well as low birth weight and length.

Lead exposure from electronic waste recycling activities has been linked to higher rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral issues, changes in children’s temperament, sensory integration difficulties, and reduced cognitive and language scores.

Other adverse impacts on children’s health associated with electronic waste include changes in lung function, respiratory effects, impaired thyroid function, and increased risk of some chronic diseases later in life, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Children Are the Most Vulnerable

A range of harmful health outcomes associated with electronic waste recycling activities has been raised.

Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the pollutant effects of informal electronic waste recycling activities.

In some countries, children are frequently involved in electronic waste collection, often serving as cheap labor, and their small hands give them an advantage in dismantling the smallest items. These activities directly expose children to injuries and high levels of dangerous chemicals.

Exposure to electronic waste can be associated with the following health effects during pregnancy and in babies and children:

• Increased rates of fetal deaths and preterm births;

• Reduced lung and respiratory function and increased incidence of asthma.

Children and pregnant women are at a higher risk than adults of being contaminated by pollutants generated by informal electronic waste recycling activities due to their unique vulnerabilities.

A Rapidly Growing Problem

The volume of electronic waste is increasing worldwide. According to the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), it increased by 21% between 2014 and 2019, with 53.6 million tons of electronic waste generated.

For comparison, the amount of electronic waste in 2020 is equivalent to 350 cruise ships lined up in a 125 km long row. This growth is expected to continue as the use of computers, mobile phones, and other electronics continues to expand, along with their rapid obsolescence.

Only 17.4% of the electronic waste produced in 2019 reached formal management or recycling facilities, according to GESP estimates; the remainder was illegally dumped, predominantly in low- or middle-income countries, where it is recycled by informal workers.

Proper collection and recycling of electronic waste are essential to protect the environment and reduce climate emissions.

In 2019, GESP found that 17.4% of the electronic waste that was collected and properly recycled prevented up to 15 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents from being released into the environment.

So, How Should We Properly Dispose of Electronic Waste and What Is the Recycling Process?

1. Collection

First and foremost, electronic waste does not belong in regular trash. When disposing of electronic waste, you need to take it to a designated collection point, usually a special recycling bin, a certified collection site, or large electronics retailers.

Collecting electronic items through recycling bins, return programs, collection sites, or on-demand collection services is the first step in the electronic waste recycling process. Afterward, mixed electronic waste is sent to recyclers specialized in electronics.

At this stage, best practices require that electronic waste be sorted by type, so many collection sites will still have separate bins and boxes for different items. This is especially critical for electronic waste that requires extra handling, such as batteries, which can cause significant damage if mixed with other types of waste.

2. Sorting, Dismantling, and Shredding

The first step in processing electronic waste involves manual sorting to extract specific items, such as batteries and light bulbs, for their own processing. During this stage, certain items may be manually dismantled to recover valuable materials or components for reuse.

After manual sorting, the electronic waste is shredded into small pieces to facilitate accurate material sorting. This is a critical stage of the process, as electronics typically consist of various materials that can be separated mechanically when broken into pieces the size of centimeters.

3. Mechanical Separation

The mechanical separation of materials involves multiple sequential processes, with magnetic separation and water separation being the main steps.

Magnetic Separation

The shredded electronic waste undergoes magnetic separation to extract ferrous metals such as iron and steel, while non-ferrous metals are separated using eddy currents.

These metals are then sent to specialized recycling facilities for smelting. Other materials, such as circuit boards and plastics with embedded metal, are separated during this stage.

Water Separation

After magnetic separation, the remaining solid waste consists mainly of plastic and glass. To further purify the waste and separate different types of plastic, water is used in a subsequent separation step. Obvious contaminants are also manually removed during this process.

4. Recovery

Once separated, the materials are prepared for reuse and sale. Certain materials, such as plastic or steel, are directed to other recycling streams.

However, others may be processed on-site and sold directly, along with usable components extracted during the early stages of the recycling process.