Electronic waste hurting children - WHO

The story: The World Health Organization (WHO) in a report titled “Children and Digital Dumpsites” says that children working in informal processing a

Electronic waste hurting children - WHO 

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• The story: The World Health Organization (WHO) in a report titled “Children and Digital Dumpsites” says that children working in informal processing are facing huge risks due to discarded electronic devices, or e-waste. There are as many as 18 million children (as young as five years) and about 12.9 million women work at these e-waste dumpsites every year. The e-waste from high-income countries is dumped in the middle- or low-income countries for processing every year.
• Points to note: E-Waste is the short for "Electronic-Waste", and is a term used to describe old, end-of-life or discarded electronic appliances. It includes electronic equipment, completely or in part discarded as waste, by consumers or bulk users, as well as rejects from manufacturing, refurbishment and repair processes. Such waste has over 1,000 precious metals and other substances like gold, copper, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
• Volume of E-waste: According to the 'Global E-waste Statistics Partnership', the volume of e-waste generated is surging rapidly across the globe, with more than 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste generated in 2019. Only 17.4% of this was processed in formal recycling facilities, and the rest dumped in low- or middle-income countries for illegal processing by informal workers. That is as bad as it gets!
• The Indian case: According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generated more than 10 lakh tonnes of e-waste in 2019-20, an increase from 7 lakh tonnes in 2017-18. The e-waste dismantling capacity did not increase from 7.82 lakh tonnes since 2017-18.

1. In 2018, the Ministry of Environment had told the NGT that 95% of e-waste in India is recycled by the informal sector and scrap dealers unscientifically dispose of it by burning or dissolving it in acids.
2. Digital dumpsites have a grave effect on the children working there, who are more prone to improper lung function, deoxyribonucleic acid damage and increased risk of chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease. They are less likely to metabolise or eradicate pollutants absorbed.
3. Several women, including expectant mothers, also work there. Processing e-waste exposes them as well as their children to these toxins.
4. The hazardous impact of working at such sites is also experienced by families and communities that reside in the vicinity of these e-waste dumpsites.

• Management of E-waste (International Convention):

1. Basel Convention on the Control of the Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Waste, 1992 - The Convention did not mention e-waste but later it addressed the issues of e-waste in 2006 (COP8). It seeks to ensure environmentally sound management; prevention of illegal traffic to developing countries and; building capacity to better manage e-waste.
2. The Nairobi Declaration - It was adopted at COP9 of the Basel Convention, and aimed at creating innovative solutions for the environmentally sound management of electronic wastes.
3. India - For producers, the government implemented the E-waste (Management) Rules (2016) which enforces the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Under EPR principle the producers have been made responsible to collect a certain percentage of E-waste generated from their goods once they have reached their “end-of-life”. The enforcement has been quite lax. The states have been entrusted with the responsibility for maintaining industrial space for e-waste dismantling and recycling facilities, and are expected to establish measures for protecting the health and safety of workers engaged in the dismantling and recycling facilities for e-waste.
4. India’s first e-waste clinic for segregating, processing and disposal of waste from household and commercial units has been set-up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

• Summary: Since most of the e-waste is recycled in India in unorganized units, engaging large manpower, the recovery of metals from Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) by primitive means is a most hazardous act. Proper education, awareness and most importantly alternative cost effective technology need to be provided so that better means can be provided. Integration of smaller units with larger ones, to create one value chain, will help a lot.

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