Transcript SVTC - presentation slides

Health Concerns and
Electronics Products
Presented to CleanMed – April 2004
by Ted Smith
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition/
Computer TakeBack Campaign
http://svtc.org
http://www.computertakeback.com/
www.hcwh.org/goinggreen
SVTC Mission Statement
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition does research,
advocacy, and organizing to address human health
and environmental problems caused by the rapid
growth of the high-tech electronics industry. Our
goal is to advance environmental sustainability
and clean production in the industry, as well as to
improve health, promote justice, and ensure
democratic decision-making for communities and
workers affected by the high-tech revolution.
High Tech Impact on the
Environment
• In the birthplace of high-tech, Silicon
Valley, 24 of the 29 sites listed on the
National Priorities List (Superfund
Sites) for clean up of contaminated soil
and water were caused by high-tech
companies.
A Semiconductor Wafer
One mirco chip weighs 2 grams and:
•Uses 72 grams of chemicals to make
• 700 grams of elemental gases
•32,000 grams of water
•1200 grams of fossil fuels
•total mass of materials used to produce
the 2gram chip is 630 times that of the final product
•The amount of resoureces used to make a car is
about 2X the weight
Source: “The 1.7 Kilogram Microchip:World Watch, 2003
“Printed circuit boards contain
heavy metals such as antimony,
silver, chromium, zinc, lead, tin
and copper. According to some
estimated there is hardly any other
product for which the sum of the
environmental impacts of raw
material, extraction, industrial,
refining and production, use and
disposal is so extensive as for
printed circuit boards.”
-CARE conference, Vienna 1994
Health Concerns and
Electronics Products
Materials of Concern (1)
•
•
•
•
chlorinated plastics in cable wiring
brominated flame retardants in PCBs
heavy metals (lead and cadmium) in CRTs
mercury in Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or
flat panel monitors.
Health Concerns and
Electronics Products
Materials of Concern (2)
• teratogenic = linked to birth defects
• persistent = not easily excreted from the
body
• bioaccumulative = magnifies up the food
chain
• carcinogenic = cancer causing
Health Concerns and
Electronics Products
• Materials of Concern (3)
• reproductive toxin = linked to birth
defects
• endocrine disruptor = disrupts the
hormonal system
• mutagenic = causes mutations in cells
Toxic Materials in the
300 Million Obsolete
Computers by 2004
Plastic
Lead
Cadmium
Chromium
Mercury
4 billion lbs.
1 billion lbs.
2 million lbs.
1.2 million lbs
400,000 lbs
Health Concerns and
Electronics Products
It is estimated that 70% of the heavy
metals found in landfills (including
mercury and cadmium) come from
discarded electronic products
Health Impacts
• Mercury - damages brain, kidneys,
fetus; travels easily in the food chain
– PBT - persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic
• Cadmium - damages kidneys (PBT)
• Chromium VI - damages DNA
• Toners - carbon black - respiratory
problems; may be carcinogenic
BFRs, Health and
Computers
BFR Uses in Electronic
Equipment
• PBDE used in ABS, PP and HIPS plastic,
thermosets and printed circuit boards
• TBBPA used in printed circuit boards as
a reactive flame retardant
• TBBPA used in ABS and PS as additive
Health Concerns
• Some brominated compounds share
many properties with organochlorine
compounds such as DDT or PCBs
• PBDEs are long-lived, fat - seeking and
therefore bioaccumulate in animal
tissue
• Possible endocrine disruptors
US Findings
•
Between 1989 and 1998 PBDE
concentrations in harbor seal tissue
doubled every 1.8 years14
– A recent US study found San Francisco Bay
Area women contained 3 times the
concentration of PBDE in breast milk than
in Sweden14
– US has the highest documented
concentrations in the world
Rising Concentration in
13
Swedish Breast Milk
Findings in
Recycling Workers
•
• The levels of BFRs found at electronics
dismantling plant were several orders of
magnitude higher than in other
environments
• Recycling workers are being highly
exposed to PBDE and TBBPA
• Some studies have also shown exposures
to computer technicians and office
workers
– Analysis and toxicology of BFRs with emphasis on PBDEs,
by Pettersson and Karlsson, Orebro University, Sweden
Reports
Presence of brominated flame
retardants and organotin compounds in
dusts collected from Parliament
buildings from eight countries,
by David Santillo, Paul Johnston and
Kevin Brigden, Greenpeace Research
Laboratories, June 2001.
Health Concerns and
Electronics Products
Mercury and Exposure During Disposal
• Lighting in flat panel displays is a source of
mercury. Mercury is a well-documented
neurotoxin. Mercury contamination occurs
during the transfer, landfilling, and
incineration of solid waste.
http://www.newmoa.org/NEWMOA/htdocs/
prevention/mercury/landfillfactsheet.cfm
Health Concerns and
Electronics Products
• Mercury emissions have been found at landfills on
the working face and in gas extraction systems
• Landfills convert part of the mercury in products
from the metallic form to the more toxic methyl
form and the highly toxic dimethyl form and are a
major source of these emissions
• Mercury from landfills can re-enter the environment
when the leachate is treated either on-site or at
wastewater treatment plants
• Mercury in solid waste is also released from waste
storage containers and during waste collection,
transfer and transportation
Europe Leads the Way
with 2 new Directives
Waste Electrical Electronic
Equipment (WEEE)
Restriction of the use of certain
Hazardous Substances in
electrical & electronic
equipment (RoHS)
Prison labor is dangerous
and undercuts commercial
high-end recycling
Health Care Procurement
Guidelines
Developed by CTBC & Health Care Without Harm
(1)
End of Life Management
(2)
Design for the Environment & Public
Health
(3)
Energy Efficiency
For More Information:
www.svtc.org
www.computertakeback.com
www.hcwh.org/goinggreen