Waste in the Wireless World - Toxicity of Cell Phone Waste
As described in detail in Waste in the Wireless World, cell phones
(and other electronic devices) are an especially problematic
component of the waste stream because they contain a large number of
hazardous substances, which can pollute the air when burned in
incinerators and leach into soil and drinking water when buried in
landfills. Many of these toxic substances — including antimony,
arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc —
belong to a class of chemicals known as persistent toxins, which
linger in the environment for long periods without breaking down.
Some of them — including the metals lead and cadmium — also tend
to accumulate in the tissues of plants and animals, building up in
the food chain to dangerous levels even when released in very small
quantities. These persistent, bioaccumulative toxins, or PBTS, have
been associated with cancer and a range of reproductive,
neurological, and developmental disorders. They pose a particular
threat to children, whose developing systems are especially
vulnerable to toxic assault. Most of the persistent toxins and PBTs
contained in cell phones are in the printed wiring board and
liquid-crystal display.
The PBT of
greatest concern in cell phones is lead, a heavy metal recognized as
a problem material throughout the world. Lead is a suspected
carcinogen, has adverse effects on the central nervous system,
immune system, and kidneys, and has been linked to developmental
abnormalities. Its main application in cell phones and other
electronic products is in the solder used to attach components to
each other and to the printed wiring board. Within the European
Union (EU), the Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain
Hazardous
Substances in Electrical and Electronic Products (RoHS Directive)
mandates that, by July 1, 2006, no new electrical and electronic
products put on the market in any of the EU’s 15 member states may
contain lead (among a handful of other particularly hazardous
substances). Numerous efforts are under way to find alternatives to
lead solder that do not compromise the performance of electronic
products. (For more information on the RoHS Directive, see INFORM’s
fact sheet “The WEEE and RoHS Directives: Highlights and Analysis,”
July 2003, http://www.informinc.org/fact_WEEE.pdf.)
Another
hazardous constituent of cell phones is brominated flame retardants,
which are added to plastics to reduce the risk of fire. They are
used primarily in the phones’ printed wiring boards, cables, and
plastic housings. Research indicates that some brominated flame
retardants can be persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic, while the
impacts of others are still being evaluated. Two categories of flame
retardant — polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated
diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) — have been associated with cancer and
disruption of the immune and endocrine systems. In addition, some of
these substances can form dioxins and furans, a group of highly
toxic and persistent by-products of combustion, when products that
contain them are incinerated or recycled. Like lead, the use of PBBs
and PBDEs in electrical and electronic products sold in the EU is
banned under the RoHS Directive beginning in July 2006.
The
rechargeable batteries that power cell phones also contain a number
of highly toxic substances. Through the mid-1990s, the most commonly
used power source in cell phones was nickel-cadmium batteries (Ni-Cds).
Cadmium is a PBT and probable human carcinogen that can cause lung,
liver, and kidney damage and is toxic to wildlife. Because of its
toxicity, cadmium is banned from electronic products under the EU’s
RoHS Directive. Lithium-ion and nickel-metal hydride batteries are
increasingly replacing Ni-Cds in cell phones, but these contain
cobalt, zinc, and copper — all heavy metals that can be toxic to
plants, wildlife, and human beings. Although a system is in place
— the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. (RBRC) — to collect
and recycle rechargeable batteries in the US, few consumers are
aware of the program and most of these batteries wind up in the
trash. (It is important to note that recycling is not a panacea and
can have its own environmental impacts, including the release of
toxic chemicals into air, surface water, and public sewage systems
as a result of the recycling process.)
To review the entire
INFORM report, logon to
www.informinc.org.
