NEW DELHI, India — Greenpeace today released a report of their scientific analysis of waste-waters, ashes, soils and sediments from electronic waste (e-waste) recycling yards in India and China. The report conclusively proves that toxic chemicals, including heavy metals, are released into the workplace and in many cases, into the surrounding environment, during each stage of the e-waste recycling process.
Children extract copper from discarded computer parts. New Delhi
The release of the report, "Toxic Tech: recycling electronic
wastes in China and India", comes a few days after the European
Directive on Waste from Electrical and Electronics Equipment (WEEE)
came into effect on 13th August (1). The directive, which regulates
the handling of e-waste in the EU region, has yet to be implemented
in many EU countries. China and India have been left to deal with
the waste not only from the EU but also the United States.
"The report provides a compelling case for immediate action in
both countries to address workplace health and safety issues, as
well as waste management practices," according to Dr. Kevin
Brigden, a Greenpeace scientist, who collected and analysed the
samples. Concentrations of lead in dust samples collected from some
workshops in China were hundreds of times higher than typical
levels of household dusts. The levels of lead in dusts collected
from similar Indian workshops were approximately 5-20 times
background levels (2).The data reinforces the need for the
electronics industry to eliminate, at source, the use of harmful
substances in their products."
"Samsung, Nokia, Sony and Sony Ericsson have made commitments to
eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals such as PVC and brominated
flame retardants (BFRs) (3) in their products. LG Electronics is
the latest to join the list of companies in committing to
substitute these harmful substances with safer alternatives This
clearly proves that it is possible to make electronic equipment
without the use of these hazardous substances and still remain
profitable," said Ramapati Kumar.
Other companies like Dell, IBM/Lenovo, HP, Siemens, Acer,
Toshiba, Panasonic, Fujitsu-Siemens and Apple have failed to commit
to a similar substitution of harmful substances.
View the
scientific report
Visit the
e-waste campaign
View the
e-waste in India slideshow
For more information:
Ramapati Kumar, Toxic Trade Campaigner, Greenpeace India:
+919845535414
Namrata Chowdhary, Media Officer, Greenpeace India:
+919810850092 
Notes to editors:
1. EU Member States should have implemented the Directive into
national legislation by August 2004; and by August 2005,
producers/importers should have had systems in place to take back
and manage WEEE. Most EU Member States are at least one year late
in transposing the Directive.
2. Lead is a toxic heavy metal, and one of the hazardous
chemicals used by the electronics industry that is to be banned by
a European Directive on the Restriction of the Hazardous chemicals
(RoHS) in electronic products, with exemptions.
3. BFRs are environmentally persistent chemicals, some of which
are highly bioaccumulative and capable of interfering with normal
brain development in animals.