The cell phones that people throw out in the United
States qualify as hazardous waste according to the ACS’ Environmental Science
and Technology which is a semi - monthly journal. There
are long standing about the quantity
of consumer electronics products that wind up in dumps and landfills. An
estimated 700 million cell phones already have been discarded or are stockpiled
awaiting disposal, with 130 million cell phones trashed in 2005 alone.
Researchers used standard lab procedures to analyze chemicals in simulated cell
phone "leachate" (the liquid that dribbles out into the soil from
cell phones in dumps and landfills). Lead in the leachate was high enough to
make cell phones classify as hazardous waste under Federal regulations, the
study found. Lead-free phones, however, still are classified as hazardous waste
under California regulations due to high levels of copper, nickel, antimony and
zinc in the leachate. In my opinion, I think the cell phone makers should start
creating phones that don’t contain these hazardous chemicals. I know it may be
hard to leave out some of the materials that create the cell phone but I now
they can find better materials that wouldn’t produce hazardous waste. My solution for this problem is to have a different area for cell phones to be desposed once they are thrown out. Put the cell phones some where that can't be effected by the waste they produce. The problem with this solution is that this waste may cause pollution in any area you put it.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070416092940.htm
I dont think that cell phones are a huge factor in harming the environment. the leakage from the phones is happening in landfills. not in clean healthy areas. i think its okay to a certin extent. it would take a lot to make a big difference.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that cell phones are such a huge factory in destroying the environment. Even if they really did make a huge difference in the environment manufacturer aren't going to take anything out of their phones because people want to have the best phone out on the market they don't care if it is bad for the environment.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that because 90% of the country does own a cell phone it would become a little hectic in the landfills with cell phones. But i do not think it's destroying the earth to that extent. I think that some things that would change this could be recycling these phones and reusing their parts in creating new phones.
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