The Growing Crisis of E-Waste: A Global Challenge
Key Facts
E-waste, or electronic waste, is emerging as one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams worldwide. In 2022 alone, an estimated 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced globally, yet only 22.3% of this waste was formally collected and recycled. This alarming statistic highlights the urgent need for effective e-waste management strategies. The improper handling of e-waste often leads to the release of hazardous substances, such as lead, into the environment. Informal recycling practices, including open burning, pose significant health risks, particularly to vulnerable populations like children and pregnant women. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that millions of women and child laborers working in the informal recycling sector are at risk of hazardous e-waste exposures.
Overview
Every year, millions of electrical and electronic devices are discarded as they break or become obsolete. These discarded items, collectively known as e-waste, can pose serious threats to both human health and the environment if not disposed of and recycled properly. Common items found in e-waste streams include computers, mobile phones, large household appliances, and medical equipment. Unfortunately, many of these devices are recycled through unsound practices, stored improperly, dumped, or illegally exported. When e-waste is mishandled, it can release up to 1,000 different chemical substances into the environment, including neurotoxicants like lead.
Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of e-waste exposure due to their developmental stages and unique pathways of exposure. The ILO reported that in 2020, approximately 16.5 million children were working in the industrial sector, with waste processing being a significant subsector.
Scope of the Problem
E-waste is not just a growing waste stream; it is also a source of valuable and finite resources that can be reused if recycled appropriately. However, less than a quarter of the e-waste produced globally in 2022 was formally recycled. This situation is particularly dire in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where inadequate regulations, lack of recycling infrastructure, and insufficient training exacerbate the risks associated with e-waste. Despite international regulations aimed at controlling the transport of e-waste, its illegal transboundary movement to LMICs continues unabated.
E-waste is classified as hazardous waste due to its toxic materials, which can produce harmful chemicals when recycled improperly. Many of these toxic substances are known or suspected to cause harm to human health, including dioxins, lead, and mercury. The inferior recycling of e-waste poses a significant threat to public health and safety.
Exposure to E-Waste
Electrical and electronic items contain numerous toxic substances that users typically do not encounter while the devices are functional. However, once these items become waste, toxicants can be released into the environment if managed through environmentally unsound practices. Common hazardous activities observed at e-waste sites include:
- Scavenging
- Dumping on land or in water bodies
- Landfilling alongside regular waste
- Open burning or heating
- Acid baths or acid leaching
- Stripping and shredding plastic coatings
- Manual disassembly of equipment
These practices release toxic pollutants, contaminating the air, soil, dust, and water surrounding recycling sites and neighboring communities. Open burning and heating are particularly hazardous due to the toxic fumes they generate. Once released, these pollutants can travel significant distances, exposing individuals in faraway areas to hazardous substances.
Children Are the Most Vulnerable
Epidemiological research has linked several adverse health outcomes to informal and unsound e-waste recycling activities. Children and pregnant women are especially susceptible to the effects of hazardous pollutants from these practices. Many children are involved in waste picking, scavenging, burning discarded e-waste, and manually dismantling items for parts. In some regions, children are exploited as a source of cheap labor, and their small hands make them adept at disassembling small components.
The health effects of e-waste exposure during pregnancy and in infants and children may include:
- Adverse neonatal outcomes, such as increased rates of stillbirth and premature birth
- Neurodevelopmental, learning, and behavioral issues, particularly associated with lead exposure
- Reduced lung and respiratory function, along with increased asthma incidence, linked to high levels of air pollution at e-waste recycling sites
Children and pregnant women face heightened risks from hazardous substances released during informal e-waste recycling due to their unique vulnerabilities. Toxic chemicals can cross the placenta and contaminate breast milk, posing additional risks to fetuses and young children. The presence of neurotoxicants like lead and mercury in e-waste can disrupt the development of the central nervous system, leading to long-term health consequences.
Prevention and Management
To protect communities from the dangers of unsound e-waste recycling activities, national and international actions are essential. Recommended actions include:
- Adopting and enforcing high-level international agreements
- Developing and implementing national e-waste management legislation that prioritizes public health
- Incorporating health protection measures into national legislation
- Monitoring e-waste sites and surrounding communities
- Implementing interventions that improve informal e-waste recycling practices while safeguarding public health
- Educating health workers on e-waste-related child health issues
- Eliminating child labor in e-waste recycling
International Agreements
The Basel Convention is a comprehensive environmental agreement that controls the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes, including e-waste. In 2019, the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention came into force, prohibiting the movement of hazardous wastes from OECD countries to other states party to the Convention. The Basel Convention also runs programs and workshops to develop guidance on the environmentally sound management of e-waste.
Regional conventions, such as the Bamako Convention and the Waigani Convention, further restrict the movement of hazardous wastes in African and South Pacific countries, respectively.
WHO Response
The World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated several programs to address the health impacts of e-waste, particularly on children. The WHO’s Initiative on E-waste and Child Health aims to develop frameworks that protect children’s health from e-waste exposures, which can be adapted and replicated in various countries. Key objectives of the initiative include:
- Increasing access to evidence and knowledge about the health effects of e-waste
- Improving health sector capacity to manage and prevent risks
- Facilitating monitoring and evaluation of e-waste exposures and health interventions
In 2021, the WHO released its first global report on e-waste and child health, calling for effective and binding actions to protect children from this growing threat. The WHO has also developed training tools for healthcare providers, including specific modules on e-waste and child health.
Conclusion
The growing crisis of e-waste presents significant challenges to public health and the environment. With millions of tonnes generated each year and only a fraction being properly recycled, the need for effective management strategies is more urgent than ever. Protecting vulnerable populations, particularly children and pregnant women, requires coordinated national and international efforts to improve e-waste recycling practices and eliminate hazardous exposures. By addressing these challenges, we can work towards a safer and healthier future for all.