After talking about the merits and issues with online media, I thought I’d follow up with a quick overview on the hazards of electronic waste. These hazards have been posing a threat for several decades and most of us are oblivious  – we turn our heads.

As manufacturers produce more and more electronic equipment, computers, monitors, televisions, telephones, cellphones, mp3 players, printers and gadgets at incredible turnover rates we end up with a big problem – electronic waste.

this is planned obsolescence – it’s on purpose

These items have to get disposed of somehow. Not the best outcome, especially since much of it gets thrown directly into the garbage. Even equipment that gets recycled often ends up in the wrong hands, in under developed countries – more often than you think. Ironically, this is where many raw materials are extracted at the hands of slave labour, greedy governments and business.

Children and impoverished people handle equipment to extract metals and minerals. The are exposed  to highly toxic material. The leftovers are then dumped into our fragile eco-system.

Equipment is being produced at incredible rates and replaced at an even greater one. As soon as a new product comes in it goes out of fashion. We discard it and move on to the next. The product life cycle is shortening every year. There are now over a billion obsolete computers and monitors. Cell phones too!

Here are some stats on how we dispose of our electronics.

Equipment needs batteries, consume power, use raw materials and create a huge carbon footprint but the worst is all the chemicals that get improperly disposed of.

There are actually over 1000 chemicals and minerals in your average computer. They contain lead, mercury, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, brominates and cause nerve damage, cancer and various medical conditions. As these reach our water shed they destroy further use of natural resources.

Do you want to be exposed to all those materials?

Do you want your children to be safe?

This doesn’t even touch the concern, but should send out a big flashing red light signal.

what do we do when we see a red light?

We stop.

Okay, so it’s time to stop.

Stop consuming, stop encouraging consumption and start changing.

A lighter footprint. It’s time to take the step.

On Friday, I’ll take a look at some solutions. Sometimes we are just moving too fast to get the brakes on.