Author : Umesh Kumar and D N Singh

The technological development, transmigration of Electronic products, unequal growth, impact of urbanization and lesser regulatory mechanism has lead to a situation where one is single mindedly thinking of automation and self growth. The manufacturers / producers and dealers are only thinking of making profit but no one is thinking of that this automation, urbanization growth, technological advancement is leading to disaster and we are ruining the atmosphere, environment in which we are finding our existence and will continue to remain in. The hazardness and toxicity of materials used in the popular electronic products are circulated, recycled and when they come to end of life stage, they have to be disposed off and this disposal which should have taken place in safe sophisticated manner in the most appropriate technological manner as per their constituents but find the most unfriendly and crude manner of disposal, dismantling and burning in uncontrolled and unsafe manner by unskilled workers. The workforces most of the time constitute children also. The employment or earning they get in return is very little compared to the exposer and harm they are subjected to. The certain substances and minerals are needed for the safer and healthy life but its excess exposer and intake leads to hazardous & toxic situation leading to many complex and dangerous situations which damages the life by development of inability and degradation of environment. The presence of metals, minerals and substances in and around the disposal sites show alarmingly high presence of these substances and are posing threats of imminence nature. The efforts and strict enactment for regulatorory agencies, extended producers responsibility (EPR) and take back system by the producers has to be developed and strictly adhered to. The local Government should come with strong legislations and coordinate their effort to tackle the situation with cooperation of each other. The technology for production of eco friendly manufacturing of electronic appliances and their proper disposal facilities are need of the hour. Any nation, irrespective of their level of development lack proper inventory of EEE produces, hence the real threat and level of participation cannot be fixed upon. The transmigration of obsolete products in name of technology transfer must be stopped and one has to realize that loss to environment will be loss to human kind as the air, ground water level of pollution, change of soils texture, erosion and seepage of waste product will not remain confined to the boundaries of the nations what mankind has fixed. The quarrel that who is the larger polluter and who should be fixed for such are very minor issues as day by day we are shrinking and the globe has to be treated as one entity and safeguard of all beings will generate world where all can live in humane manner.

Keywords: Metals, EEE, Hazardous, Toxic, Regulations, Inventory, Development, Environment, Degradation

Article published in International Journal of Current  Engineering  and Technology, Vol.4,No.2 (April- 2014)