The modern day society is technologically oriented, with virtually every activity being conducted with the help of various forms of technology. The implication is that the world has seen a massive rate of large-scale production of technology devices. Estimates point out that close to 50 million tons of e-waste are produced globally (Lepawsky & Mcnabb, 2010). The developed countries are the primary producers of this waste, with the role of doing away with the waste left to the poorer developing countries. In the US and Canada for example, close to 80% of all electronic waste is exported to Asia and Africa (Lepawsky & Mcnabb, 2010). These poor communities lack advanced means of processing this waste, and this yields various social, economic and environmental impacts to these countries.
Social aspects
Historical data indicates the adverse social consequences that electronic waste has, especially in the developing countries that are used as dumping sites of e-waste by the wealthy nations. The social effects primarily touch on the compromising of the well being of the residents of these poor countries. In Nigeria, for example, the lives of villagers who wholly depended on agriculture were negatively impacted by polychlorinated biphenyls, which were produced by Italian waste dumped into their farms (Lepawsky & Mcnabb, 2010). This case had many villagers report of strange sicknesses that could be traced back to the e-waste. The social impact of e-waste is therefore mainly felt through the health outcomes of the communities used to process the waste.
The social implications of e-waste are also conceptualized when the health outcomes for the residents of Gaiyu, China is considered. According to researchers, this is one of the world’s biggest centers used for the processing of this kind of waste. The city has been involved in the handling of the waste for more than four decades, with more than 80% of the families in the area actively engaged in the recycling process of e-waste (Lin et al., 2013). Given that these workers engage in this activity without taking the necessary health precautions, research reveals that Guiyu residents had high levels of toxic heavy metals and other organic poisons in their blood, hair, milk and umbilical cords. Lin et.al (2013) review the literature on the health outcomes of people in this area, with results indicating that these residents had higher rates of stillbirths, Low Birth Weight, and Intrauterine Growth Retardation cases compared to the other Chinese towns not involved in e-waste recycling.
The literature review also revealed that the toxins from the e-waste processing activities were linked to temperament alterations especially in children. Besides, the children in these areas run the risk of developing nervous system complications. In a study that looked into the effect of cadmium pollution to pregnancies revealed that this toxin has the potential of causing shortened placental telomere length. Also, Cadmium was noted to have adverse implications for the development of the yolk sac and embryo, while predisposing children to cancer (Lin et al., 2013).
Environmental aspects
The environmental aspects of e-waste are some of the widely documented scholarly topics. Environmentalists, governments, and non-governmental organizations have documented the adverse effects of electronic waste. This has led to the development of various accords that seek to manage the handling and management of e-waste. Some instances have gotten worldwide attention in regards to e-waste. The 1986 incident where a Norwegian ship tried to dump waste on a beach in Haiti shows the fear around electronic waste (Lepawsky & Mcnabb, 2010). The adverse environmental impacts associated with e-waste are a major concern due to the problematic nature of handling the large quantities of e-waste. Due to the modern day technological advancements, a variety of technology devices are used, meaning that there is a multiplicity in regards to the types of waste accumulated (Sullivan, 2014).
In a review of the literature on e-waste management, Sullivan (2014) finds out that there is an increase in the rate of release of carcinogenic dioxins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons due to the random burning of plastic. The environmental impact of toxins arising from improper e-waste management systems is becoming clearer, especially in the degradation of the environment is areas used for e-waste processing. The review also shows that the toxins from this waste are expected to influence not only the current generation but also generations in the future. Given that most electronic devices are often made up of toxic material such as arsenic, lead, and mercury, these toxins often find their way into the soil and water. During the recycling process, these toxins leach into the soil, especially during the rainy seasons. Overall, the toxins end up in water, soil and air, thus intoxicating the whole food chain.
In a study that looked into the environmental effect of e-waste to Ikeja, Nigeria, the results indicated that water in the region had high concentrations of heavy metals. The soil in this e-waste processing area also showed a high concentration of toxins, especially lead when compared to other parts not involved in e-waste processing (Sullivan, 2014).These results build on the literature suggesting that electronic waste processing in Nigeria, which was usually illegal contributed to high levels of environmental pollution. The toxic pollutants have grave impacts on the natural ecosystems; which poses a threat to global biodiversity.
Economic aspects
There is an economic perspective to electronic waste. An essential aspect to consider here is the fact that the processing of e-waste requires a significant investment in regards to human resources. An argument is therefore made that dumping of e-waste into developing countries offers an opportunity for the unemployed public to make a living. Despite this being true, the situation can be translated as one where rich countries take advantage of the economic insecurities of poor people in developing countries for their benefit (Lepawsky & Mcnabb, 2010).
Another aspect to consider in the economic perspective to e-waste is the supposed positive impact that re-used electronics have to the economies of developing nations. In these nations, the demand for electronic appliances is as high as the rates in the developed nations. The second-generation items from developed countries have, therefore, helped in the dawning of the digital age in these countries. The dumping of electronic waste has therefore seen the availability of affordable digital electronic devices (Sullivan, 2014). A problem arises once these cheap devices become non-repairable. The devices become waste, which has a variety of adverse environmental and social impacts.
The overall argument is that despite the fact that dumping of e-waste provides an economic reprieve to the poor people in developing countries, the long-term effects are diverse. E-waste and used electronics pose environmental and health hazards. In the end, the countries that process this waste will incur costs tied to medical care and loss of labor. This is because more people will continue being adversely affected by toxins from the waste, with the development of children compromised and cases of early death being common (Sullivan, 2014).
Values and bias
Being a native Chinese, I have first-hand information regarding the mistreatment of third world countries by the richer countries. Despite the fact that China is not as poor as some of the third world countries, the countries share a commonality of e-waste being dumped to our doorsteps. The fact that the rich countries often seek to mistreat the poorer countries informs my bias, and may shape my perception in studies regarding e-waste.
I am a firm believer in the existence of human rights and the upholding of human values. To this end, I value the fact that each human being, irrespective of the country of origin deserves to be fairly treated in international relations. The people from third world countries should not be treated as lesser people by the rich nations. With China being one of the countries used for dumping of e-waste, I feel that this is a form of dehumanization. The rich countries which are the major producers of e-waste benefit from this arrangement, while the people from the poorer countries given the responsibility to process the waste handle all the risk.
In approaching the issue of electronic waste, I have the bias of believing that the rich countries are misusing the poorer countries. These countries are taking advantage of the economic vulnerabilities of the people from the third world countries to easily dump their waste into these countries. I view the actions of the rich countries to be deliberate attempts of ignoring the plight faced by the poor countries.
This kind of bias is also informed by literature that suggests that scientists dealing with e-waste may be colluding with the rich countries to give inaccurate data on electronic waste. Most researches touching on environmental factors are funded by either governments or the private sector . To this end, these governmentss have vested interests in the outcomes of the research. A researcher funded by a government, therefore, is constrained in regards to the integrity of the results made public. A common way through which institutional bias occurs is where the governments funding research propose their objective and hypotheses, meaning that the interests of the institutions guide the research . The overall implication is that institutional bias affects the conclusions made in electronic waste research. The rich countries, therefore, give faulty information regarding the adverse effect that their e-waste, dumped into third world countries has to the people.
My observations on the poor communities that are given the responsibility of processing e-waste once it is dumped from the rich countries also informs another form of bias on the issue of handling e-waste. These families are often unable to gain proper health care, and therefore cannot handle the health risks that come from handling e-waste. The poor families also lack the financial capability of purchasing protective gear that prevents toxins from the e-waste from entering their bodies. I, therefore, think that health costs that the poor residents of the countries where e-waste is dumped supersedes the possible benefits gained from the waste.
Having observed adverse effects of e-waste to China and especially the poor health of the families who handle the waste; I strongly believe that the rich countries are to blame for the problems resulting from e-waste. These countries should work more towards ensuring that the waste from the manufacture of their electronics is done in a more effective manner.
Interpretation
This research unearthed that electronic waste has resulted in many adverse effects to the poor communities that are left to process the waste. As shown in the study done in dumping sites in China, people involved in the waste processing have been affected heath wise. These adverse outcomes pass to other generations, with children born with many defects. In the case of Nigeria, the previously productive agricultural land has been reduced to being unproductive, thus compromising the economic outcomes of the people. These results in Nigeria build on to the research that suggests that high rates of environmental degradation are being experienced globally as a result of electronic waste. To this end, many toxins are being released to both sea and land. The outcome is that the entire food chain is compromised by the poor processing processes of electronic waste .
There are some arguments that the dumping of electronic waste into poorer countries has helped these countries make significant strides in the digital age. These arguments are valid to some extent since the residents of these countries can get cheaper electronic devices. The long-term financial costs that come with exposure to the electronic waste outweigh the benefits gained from the waste. These primarily come concerning hospital bills.
In conclusion, the demand for electronic appliances has led to an increase of electronic waste dumped into developing countries. This waste has various effects, with the economic, social and environmental aspects covered in this research. What stands out, however, is the disregard to the concept of sustainable development, where the activities of the current generation poised to compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
References
Coble, Y. (2009). Environmental Health Sciences Decision Making: Risk Management, Evidence, and Ethics - Workshop Summary. Washington (DC): National Academies Press.
Gaidajis, G., Angelakoglou, K., & Aktsoglou, D. (2010). "E-waste: environmental problems and current management.". Journal of Engineering Science and Technology Review 3(1), 193-199.
Lepawsky, J., & Mcnabb, C. (2010). Mapping international flows of electronic waste. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe Canadien, 54(2), 177-195. doi:10.1111/j.1541-0064.2009.00279.x
Lin, S., Huo, X., Zhang, Q., Fan, X., Du, L., & Xu, X. (2013). Short Placental Telomere was Associated with Cadmium Pollution in an Electronic Waste Recycling Town in China. PLoS ONE, 8(4)., 1-8. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0060815
Robinson, B. (2009). "E-waste: an assessment of global production and environmental impacts.". Science of the total environment 408(2), 183-191.
Sullivan, J. (2014). Trash or Treasure: Global Trade and the Accumulation of E-Waste in Lagos, Nigeria. Africa Today, 61(1),, 89-112. doi:10.2979/africatoday.61.1.89
