| Marketplace
Murmurs is a daily blog of
consumer-related news, thoughts and
missives that cross the minds and desks
of the CBC News: Marketplace staff... |
Toxic technology
May 5, 2006
The computer you're using to read this will one day be nothing more than a pile of garbage, contaminated with heavy metals and toxic plastic.
There's lead in the keyboard, toxic
flame retardants and antimony in the
circuit boards, cadmium in the battery
and the chips, all wrapped up in a casing
of plastic that will release more deadly
substances – furans and dioxins – when
it's burned.
Environment
Canada estimates that computer waste in Canada – totalling more
than 67,000 tonnes in 2005 – put 1.1 tonnes of mercury, 4.5 tonnes
of cadmium and 3,012 tonnes of lead into landfills in 2005.
CBC
News Online has a fascinating look at
the problem of obsolete technology being thrown
away – a problem
made worse by consumer demand for the newest,
shiniest, most powerful things.
via: CBC
News Online
related Marketplace story: High-tech
Trash
related murmurs: Where
do computers go to die?,
Environmentalists take Apple to
task over iPod
murmur categories: home, technology, environment
tags: consumers consumer news consumerism technology computers environment e-waste
posted by Tessa | 8:49
AM (ET) | Permalink
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