Using toxicological profiles for lead, tin, silver and copper the individual alloys toxicity to humans and the environmental aspect were assessed. A total assessment of the metals is shown in the table here. The number of plusses indicates the magnitude of effects.
Role of society
The society plays a pivotal role in addressing the problem of e-waste. We just have to keep these things in mind:
1. Identify durable products:
When shopping for electronic and electrical equipment, review the products for repair history and consumer reliability ratings.
2. Repair instead of replace:
Repairing an electronic or electrical item may be cheaper than replacing it.
3. Buy upgradable gear:
Some products can be upgraded by replacing a single component instead of the complete unit. This saves money and reduces waste.
Role of companies
Companies need to stick to:
1. Material innovation:
Reduce the amount of material used and develop materials that have less environmental impact and more value at the end of life.
2. Recyclable designs:
Design equipments that are easier to upgrade or recycle.
Recent developments
Currently, three proposals are under consideration that will significantly affect the design, manufacture and disposal of all forms of electrical and electronic equipment:
1. Directive on waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).
The WEEE directive aims at preventing generation of waste equipment and seeks collection of end-of-life equipment for reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery. It also seeks to improve the environmental performance of all economic operators involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment, particularly those who are directly involved in the treatment of waste equipment.
The proposal covers all the electronic equipment used by consumers and currently not treated before going to incinerators or landfills. It also covers a wide range of professionally used electrical and electronic equipment, such as IT and telecommunication equipment, which are not sufficiently recycled today.
2. Directive on restriction of use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (ROHs).
Originally part of the WEEE directive, the phase-out of hazardous substances has now been made into a separate directive. It seeks to harmonise national measures on restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment and introduces a substitution requirement for those substances in electrical and electronic equipment, which pose major environmental problems during the disposal and recycling of such waste. This requirement will substitute these substances with less harmful ones. The main substances include heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium. Two types of brominated flame-retardants, PBB and PBDE, also require to be substituted.
3. Working paper for an electrical and electronic equipment directive (EEE).
This working paper from the European Commissions Enterprise Directorate General contains the initial draft for a directive that harmonises the requirements concerning the design of electrical and electronic equipment. It aims at ensuring that the overall impact of electrical and electronic equipment on the environment during their life cycle is minimised and specifies provisions for the design and manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment to do this.
Move gaining momentum
Whatever the implementation and awareness issues, the transition to lead-free soldering is underway and will accelerate over the next few years, driven by commercial rather than legislative consideration. To keep pace with these changes, the industry will have to react more positively than it did to the elimination of chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs) a decade ago.
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