Electronic Garbage Piles Up

A new iPod, cell phone, laptop— it’s all a part of keeping up with the latest trends, but at what price to the environment?

Hello, I’m Charlotte Bellis, and your watching a special Earth Day edition of Newsy.com.

It’s called e-waste. Electronic garbage. And according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States produced up to 2.2 million tons of it in 2005.

USA Today found that more individuals are trying to “go green” with their e-waste by taking their discarded devices to be recycled. However, most don’t know what happens next…

“Much of the e-waste generated in the USA also ends up in Pakistan and India, where children often do the sorting and toxic circuit boards are burned in residential neighborhoods.” (USA Today)

CBS brought viewers to Guiyu – a town in southern China, to show the negative effects these electronic gadgets can have.

“Scientists have studied the area and discovered that Guiyu has the highest levels of cancer-causing dioxins in the world. They found pregnancies are six times more likely to end in miscarriage, and that seven out of ten kids have too much lead in their blood.” (CBS)

Businessweek says, sending electronic garbage overseas is not uncommon, and the hazardous material provides a livelihood for some in other countries.

“In China and elsewhere, electronic gear commonly is stripped for reusable microchips, copper, and silver; dangerous metals are dumped nearby often close to farms or sources of drinking water.” (BusinessWeek)

An international treaty is in place to reduce the movement of hazardous material.  Although the United States is the largest producer of e-waste they have yet to ratify the treaty.

Should the movement of e-waste be regulated? Should we be concerned about the long-term effects of our technology addiction?

Want to learn more? Please, visit our sources, and stay tuned for more of Newsy.com’s Earth Day coverage, where we look at perspectives on some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.