By Izah Morales

INQUIRER.net

EVERY year, computer and mobile phone manufacturers release new model units.

Sometimes, you’re tempted to buy a new one. So what will you do with your existing unit? Throw it away? Doing so will add to the million of tons of electronic waste accumulated every year.

Citing a study done in 2002, Ted Smith, founder, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC), said 300 million computers became obsolete in 2004. Making up those computers were 4 billion pounds of plastic, 1 billion pounds of lead, 1.9 million pounds of cadmium, 1.2 million pounds of chromium and 400,000 pounds of mercury.

According to C.G. Elinder and L. Jarup, rechargeable computer batteries with cadmium can accumulate in the environment and can affect kidney and bones with its toxicity. On the other hand, lighting devices for flatscreen displays with mercury can damage the brain and the central nervous system especially during early stages of development as reported on the United Nations Environment Programme 2002 Global Mercury Assessment, Chemicals, Geneva, Switzerland.

“The workers who are making the products are suffering the most,” said Smith.

As stated on the SVTC website, chip manufacturing workers reported cases of cancer, birth defects, and miscarriages.

Posing these threats to workers, Smith suggested that computer manufacturers should use less hazardous materials on their products and take back obsolete computers through the computer take back program.

“Beyond that, we can at least insist much better protection for the people who were involved in making the products and in disposing the products, if they are not harmless as they are today,” elaborated Smith.

Not only does protection for workers are needed but also action from the consumers.

Richard Gutierrez, director of Ban Toxics, recommended that consumers should keep their old computers and be conservative on what they buy. They should look for computers with RoHS (Restriction on Hazardous Substances) compliance because these products are less toxic, Gutierrez added.

In the Philippines, RA 6969 – also known as An Act to Control Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes” aims “to monitor and regulate the importation, manufacture, processing, handling, storage, transportation, sale, distribution, use and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures that present unreasonable risk or injury to health or to the environment in accordance with national policies and international commitments.”

Despite this law, “the Philippine government remained unenthusiastic in ratifying Basel Convention and implementing the ban,” according to Toxics Campaign, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, September 2005.

“Let’s not approach the problem from a legislative point of view. We need to address it in a comprehensive level. We need to build infrastructure for domestic collection. We need to build infrastructure for facility. We need infrastructure for information and coordination. It has to be a holistic approach,” said Gutierrez.