Title: How E-waste Works | HowStuffWorks
Headings: How E-waste Works
How E-waste Works
E-waste Dangers
E-waste Regulations
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle E-waste
E-waste Excellence
Citation

Content: E-waste contains a bonanza of toxic and hazardous components that, for the most part, are currently being shunted into landfills. Much of the remaining portion is exported to developing nations, where many laborers, working under unsafe, unregulated conditions, recycle this e-waste. The work these laborers do, while it does provide some raw materials that can be reused, comes with some serious consequences. Workers in Lagos, Nigeria, unload imported TVs and PC monitors, most of which will be sent to the local dumps. From there, they will be scavenged for recycling and then burned. ­
Photo courtesy Basel Action Network 2006
At present, we're just beginning to realize how serious those consequences are. Long-term exposure to small doses of toxins is less understood than the effects of those toxins in larger doses. In all likelihood, it's dangerous to spend your days touching fragments of toxic metals like lead and mercury. Common sense implies that inhaling the fumes from flame-retardant chemicals and highly corrosive acids isn't a good idea. And dumping byproducts of this recycling process into drinking-water sources can't be good for anyone.