The Humanitarian Side of Your E-Waste

Consider this: if you have children, chances are they are either at home, at camp, or at some other activity which doesn't require too much physical exhaustion or health risks. However, that would not be the case if you were a low-income family in India.

An article on electronic waste in India touched on the lives of two young boys: Asif, aged 7, and Salim, aged 12. Their full-time job is to pick integrated circuits out of landfills in India.

The United Nations released a report predicting that by the year 2020, computer e-waste in India would have increased 500% from its level in 2007, while mobile phone waste will increase an astounding 18 times.

The Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health in New Delhi conducted a study on those who sort through the waste, and found severe health complications. T.K. Joshi, the head of the Centre said, "We found dangerously high levels -- 10 to 20 times higher than normal -- of lead, mercury and chromium in blood and urine samples." 


These metals enter the workers' bloodstreams during the manual extraction process, and when they are asked to refine the metals by dipping their hand in poisonous chemicals, sometimes for hours. The children often have no idea what they are handling. 


What has the world come to where seven year olds are dipping their hands in toxic chemicals for hours? 


If this isn't a call to e-volve, I don't know what is.