The Emerging Environmental and Public Health Problem of Electronic Waste in India

Joon, Veenu; Shahrawat, Renu; Kapahi, Meena

doi:10.5696/2156-9614-7.15.1

Cited by 30 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Such activities usually involve child labour [89][90][91][92][93]. In India, approximately 35,000 to 500,000 child workers less than 16 years of age are active in different phases of e-waste activities [94,95]. Cordova-Pizarro et al [61] also confirmed the existence of the activity of child labour among Mexican e-waste workers whose ages ranged between 8 and 15 years.…”

Section: Informal Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electronic Waste, an Environmental Problem Exported to Developing Countries: The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

et al. 2021

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Electronic waste (e-waste) is a rapidly developing environmental problem particularly for the most developed countries. There are technological solutions for processing it, but these are costly, and the cheaper option for most developed countries has been to export most of the waste to less developed countries. There are various laws and policies for regulating the processing of e-waste at different governance scales such as the international Basel Convention, the regional Bamoko Convention, and various national laws. However, many of the regulations are not fully implemented and there is substantial financial pressure to maintain the jobs created for processing e-waste. Mexico, Brazil, Ghana Nigeria, India, and China have been selected for a more detailed study of the transboundary movements of e-waste. This includes a systematic review of existing literature, the application of the Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) framework for analysing complex problems associated with social ecological systems, and the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for evaluating the environmental impact of electronic devices from their manufacture through to their final disposal. Japan, Italy, Switzerland, and Norway have been selected for the LCA to show how e-waste is diverted to developing countries, as there is not sufficient data available for the assessment from the selected developing countries. GOOD, BAD and UGLY outcomes have been identified from this study: the GOOD is the creation of jobs and the use of e-waste as a source of raw materials; the BAD is the exacerbation of the already poor environmental conditions in developing countries; the UGLY is the negative impact on the health of workers processing e-waste due to a wide range of toxic components in this waste. There are a number of management options that are available to reduce the impact of the BAD and the UGLY, such as adopting the concept of a circular economy, urban mining, reducing loopholes and improving existing policies and regulations, as well as reducing the disparity in income between the top and bottom of the management hierarchy for e-waste disposal. The overarching message is a request for developed countries to help developing countries in the fight against e-waste, rather than exporting their environmental problems to these poorer regions.

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Section: Informal Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electronic Waste, an Environmental Problem Exported to Developing Countries: The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

et al. 2021

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“…India being one of the most emerging and largest developing countries with the second largest populated country in the world has reported to generate 2.1 Mt of E-waste in 2019 [ 132 ]. A study conducted by ASSOCHAM-KPMG, 2018 has reported that India is one of the world’s second-largest mobile markets [ 133 ] and likewise the fourth largest producer of E-waste [ 8 ].Additionally, the illegal trading and importing of scarp waste from other countries is one of the mammoth tasks to handle the waste management at a large [ 134 , 135 ]. Also, due to the unavailability of appropriate treatment methods, India is currently facing a huge threat toward the entire value chain management of the waste along with the booming challenge of 95% backyard recycling [ 136 – 139 ].…”

Section: E-waste Management In India -At a Glancementioning

confidence: 99%

Bioleaching: urban mining option to curb the menace of E-waste challenge

2020

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Resource Recovery from Waste Electronics has emerged as one of the most imperative processes due to its pressing challenges all over the world. The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is one of the typical E-waste components that comprise large varieties of metals and nonmetals. Urban Mining of these metals has received major attention all over the world. The existing treatment procedures used extensively for the resource extraction are hydrometallurgy and pyro-metallurgy and crude recycling practices in the informal sector. However, these methods are prone to cause secondary pollutants with certain drawbacks. Also, the existing informal recycling procedures resulted in insignificant occupational health hazards and severe environmental threats. The application of biotechnology is extensively exploited for metal extraction and emerged as one of the sustainable and eco-friendly tools. However, a limited field-scale study is prevailing in the realm of resource recovery from E-waste using bioleaching method. Hence, the application of bioleaching requires more attention and technical know-how in developing countries to curtail crude practices. The application of bioleaching in E-waste, including its available methods, kinetics mechanism associated opportunities, and barriers, have been discussed in this paper. A glance of E-waste management in India and the menace of 95% crude E-waste recycling are also elaborated. The incentives toward profit, socio-economic, and environmentally sustainable approaches have been delineated based on critical analysis of the available literature.

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“…As the winter arrives, a slight dip in the temperature aggravates the situation with 'temperature inversion' leaving pollutants hanging low in the atmosphere as the vertical wind movement gets lowered. 17 This makes air pollution an acute problem in the city during winters when the Air Quality index rises above 300/400. There is smog everywhere and situation is worst at the time of Diwali when firecrackers are burnt, people sit around fire burning wood to keep themselves warm.…”

Section: What Are the Causes Of Such Rapid Increase In Air Pollution?mentioning

confidence: 99%

While all Eyes Are Set on Delhi, Kolkata Sitting on Ticking Time Bomb of Air Pollution

Sahu

2019

JoARMST

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The metropolitan city of Kolkata today is facing challenges of air pollution like never before. With high population density and relatively lower green cover, the city is at the verge of being a gas chamber with its AQI ranging between very poor to poor in winter months. Though the problem of air pollution is multifactorial in the city, major source is automobiles. Despite laws, vehicles older than 15 years and diesel run vehicles ply uninhibitedly in the city. Also, the energy generation through conventional thermal power plant systems, use of biofuels by the residents, rapid urbanisation leading to continuous construction activities and constant decrease in the number of trees have made the situation further worse. The measures taken by government are slow in pace and insufficient. Though the capital city of India is facing all burnt at the centre stage of pollution, air pollution in Kolkata is less talked about and a relatively neglected issue. Another worrisome fact is that the city has high level of PM 2.5 which can easily enter the blood through lungs. The resulting health issues from such high levels of pollution are rampant and worrisome. It is not an exaggeration to nickname the city as lung cancer capital of India because of rising number of cancer patients for which air pollution is a major contributor. If timely swift actions are not taken; it will be too late to control the genocide in making.

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The Emerging Environmental and Public Health Problem of Electronic Waste in India

Cited by 30 publications

References 22 publications

Electronic Waste, an Environmental Problem Exported to Developing Countries: The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

Electronic Waste, an Environmental Problem Exported to Developing Countries: The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

Bioleaching: urban mining option to curb the menace of E-waste challenge

While all Eyes Are Set on Delhi, Kolkata Sitting on Ticking Time Bomb of Air Pollution

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