Handling e-waste

Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

For years, human rights advocates and environmentalists have sounded the alarm about the export of old computers and other electronic equipment to recyclers overseas.

Some exporters have been dumping tons of equipment in India and China, not to mention a number of poor nations. Recyclers in those countries burn equipment in the open air and use acid baths to extract gold, silver and copper. In the process, they are polluting the air, water and land with toxins and carcinogens, including lead, mercury, cadmium and beryllium.

The workers who disassemble the used electronics are exposed to the toxins, as are people living near the recycling operations. A “60 Minutes” report last month found seven of 10 children near one recycling operation in China had a high level of lead in their blood.

The report also noted that despite complaining of burning lungs and other physical problems, workers say they stay on the job because of the pay. The recyclers operate in impoverished areas.

Exporting the waste from the United States, which discarded an estimated 4 billion pounds of electronic gear in 2005, is cost-effective for the recyclers and largely legal. The U.S. bans the export only of broken cathode-ray tubes, once used in TVs and computer monitors, and has not ratified an international agreement intended to limit the exportation of hazardous waste.

The Basel Action Network, a nonprofit organization working to fight the dumping of so-called e-waste, has been working with recycling companies to change that. USA Today reported on Tuesday that the group is developing a rigorous program in cooperation with the recycling industry to clamp down on exporting junk. And, according to the newspaper, the group has made inroads, successfully encouraging electronics manufacturers, large companies and consumers to look for environmentally friendly recyclers to work with.

The group’s efforts should be supported. Americans’ appetite for electronic gadgets should not pollute the rest of the world.