在世界大部分地区，地下水不能直接饮用。很久(Long)以前，人们只是从井里打水喝。但是现在，您必须使用某种过滤器来净化水并使其可饮用。为什么？这只是电子垃圾(E-waste)的众多问题和危害之一。与其他垃圾一起丢弃的电子设备、死电池和电池含有铅，很容易与地下水混合，不适合直接食用。这只是冰山一角——电子垃圾处理问题！
什么是电子垃圾
仅当研究该主题的人指出到 2017 年我们的环境将因电子垃圾而变得拥挤 3 倍时，这个词才流行起来。我没有保存那条推文，否则我可以给你一些参考。即使不增加两倍，电子垃圾的数量也在增长……数量巨大。电子垃圾增加的原因是技术发展迅速，为了获得更好的设备，我们随便扔掉旧的电子产品——最好的例子就是智能手机。
有人可能会问旧电子产品与电子垃圾之间的关系。我想说的是，电子垃圾实际上是人们简单地将旧的电子产品交给垃圾车，然后被倾倒到垃圾填埋场或类似地点。电子产品含有许多有害元素，它们会与空气和水发生反应，造成水、空气和土壤污染等电子垃圾问题，以及以疾病形式影响人类的问题。
在上面的例子中，我们以旧电池和电池为例。大多数便宜的电池都是铅基的，很容易与水（雨水或湿气）发生反应，渗入并与地下水混合，同时污染垃圾部门处理的土壤和空气。
因此，您打算丢弃的属于电子产品类别的所有物品都是电子垃圾（电子垃圾）。这包括计算机、笔记本电脑、平板电脑、智能手机等。有适当的方法来处理电子物品。应该以不同的方式处理它们，但不幸的是，即使是发达国家也没有强有力的政策来处理这些有害、有毒的垃圾。
电子垃圾对人类(Humans)和环境的影响(Environment)
让我们来看看计算机、显示器和电视(TVs)等中最常见的一些元素，以及它们如何影响人类生活。
电脑和电视主板上的焊锡含铅量很高(high levels of lead)。即使是电脑显示器的玻璃面板，当然还有铅电池，也会污染空气、水和土壤。此外，它们会扭曲大脑发育过程，同时对中枢神经系统和肾脏构成危险。这（铅中毒）是电子垃圾最危险的危害之一。
除铅外，主板的汞含量也很高(high levels of Mercury)。处置不当(Improper)可能会导致皮肤和呼吸系统疾病。汞(Mercury)中毒还会导致急性脑损伤。
电缆和PVC面板以及玻璃在与水分和氧气发生反应时，会产生危险的土壤，甚至可能不适合建造房屋，因为呼吸空气的人会影响包括大脑在内的身体部位的繁殖和正常发育. 它还会破坏免疫系统(spoils the immune system)。呼吸被玻璃、 PVC(PVC)和电子产品中残留的其他形式塑料污染的空气会导致压力、焦虑和其他精神问题。
当您呼吸被主板元件反应并产生铍(Beryllium)时释放的烟雾污染的空气时，主板电路可能会导致肺癌(lung cancer)。它还导致皮肤病，包括疣和某些形式的危险过敏。
处理电子垃圾
到目前为止，即使在第一世界也没有实施适当的方法来消除电子垃圾的问题。我发现正确处理电子废物的两种有趣方法是回收(recycling)和翻新(refurbishing)。
对于回收，可能存在无法完全回收的产品。例如， PVC(PVC)层可以长时间保持原样，并且无法回收。如果制造商使用可回收材料会更好，以便将电子垃圾转化为可以再次使用的东西，而不会对地球及其居民造成伤害。因此，处理电子垃圾的主要因素之一是迫使制造商使用绿色元素。
如果对电子产品进行翻新，它们可以以较低的价格再次出售。因此，社会和环境都将受益。与其简单地将旧电视扔进垃圾桶，不如考虑打电话给供应商并询问他在哪里展示要翻新的物品。如果您找不到它，请考虑将该物品捐赠给一些慈善机构，该慈善机构可以直接使用它，也可以将其修理并使用。我不认为这是一种很好实施的做法，但如果所有供应商都提供翻新设施，那就太好了。
Microsoft Refurbisher计划是 Microsoft 的一项举措，(Microsoft)在该计划中，翻新商采购二手计算机、对其进行翻新并预安装正版Microsoft软件。
谈论正确处理电子垃圾的底线是在完全处理之前将它们转化为危害较小的物品。在这个问题上应该有一个健全的政策，并且应该为了整个地球的利益而在没有任何违规行为的情况下实施。
相关(Related)：如何以及为什么要回收智能手机(How and why you should recycle Smartphones)。
E-Waste management, recycling, disposal, facts, problems, solutions
In most parts of the world, underground water is not drinkablе directly. Long ago, people simрly used to draw up water from wells and drink it. But now, you have to use some sоrt of filter to purify the water and make it drinkable. Why? It is јust one of the mаnу рroblems and hazards of E-waste. The electronic devices, dead cells, and batteries you throw away with other garbage contain lead that easily mixes with underground water, making it unfit for direct consumption. That is just the tip of the iceberg – the problems of e-waste disposal!
What is E-Waste
This word has caught up in the recent past only when someone studying the subject noted that our environment will be 3x more congested with e-waste by 2017. I did not save that tweet else I could have given you some reference. Even if it is not to be tripled, e-waste is growing in volumes… huge volumes. The reason why e-waste is increasing is that technology is growing fast and in an attempt to get better devices, we casually get rid of old electronics – the best examples being that of smartphones.
One may ask about the relationship between old electronics and e-waste. I would say, e-waste is actually the old electronic goods that people simply give away to garbage trucks that are then dumped into landfills or similar sites. Electronics have a number of harmful elements that react with air and water to create problems of e-waste such as water, air, and soil pollution as well as problems that affect human beings in the form of diseases.
In the above example, we used old cells and batteries as an example. Most of the cheaper batteries are lead-based and easily react with water (rain or moisture) to seep and mix with underground water along with polluting the soil and air where it was disposed of by the garbage department.
Thus, everything that falls into the electronics category, that you intend to throw away, is e-waste (electronic waste). This includes computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and so on. There are proper methods to dispose off electronic items. They should be handled differently, but unfortunately, even the developed countries do not have strong policies to take care of such harmful, toxic garbage.
Effect Of E-Waste on Humans and Environment
Let’s check out some of the most common elements found in computers, monitors and TVs, etc., and how they affect human life.
The solder present on the motherboard of computers and TV contains high levels of lead. Even the glass panels of computer monitors and of course, the lead batteries contaminate air, water, and soil. In addition, they distort the process of brain development, while posing danger to the central nervous system and kidneys. This (lead poisoning) is among the most dangerous hazards of e-waste.
Other than lead, motherboards also have high levels of Mercury. Improper disposal may create skin and respiratory disorders. Mercury poisoning also causes acute brain damage.
The cables and PVC panels as well as glass, when reacting with moisture and oxygen, create hazardous soil that may not be suitable for even building a home as the people breathing that air will suffer from reproduction and proper development of body parts, including the brain. It also spoils the immune system. Stress, anxiety, and other mental problems can arise out of breathing air polluted with glass, PVC, and other forms of plastic remain found in electronic items.
The motherboard circuits can cause lung cancer when you breathe air polluted by the fumes released when the motherboard elements react and create Beryllium. It is also responsible for skin diseases, including warts and certain forms of dangerous allergies.
Treating E-Waste
As of now, there are no proper methods being implemented even in the first world to eliminate the problem of e-waste. The two methods I found interesting for the proper treatment of e-waste are recycling and refurbishing.
For recycling, there may be products that cannot be recycled completely. PVC layers, for example, stay as such for ages and cannot be recycled. It would be better if the manufacturers use recyclable material so that the e-waste is converted into something that can be used again without harming the planet and its inhabitants. Thus, one of the major factors in treating e-waste is to compel manufacturers to use green elements.
If electronics are refurbished, they can be sold again at a lower price. Thus, both society and the environment will benefit. Instead of simply dumping your old TV into the garbage bin, you might want to think about calling the vendor and asking him where to present the item for refurbishing. If you cannot find it, consider donating the item to some charity that can either use it as such or get it repaired and use it. I do not think it is a practice well implemented, but it would be nice if all vendors provide a refurbishing facility.
The Microsoft Refurbisher program is one initiative from Microsoft, where the refurbisher procures pre-owned computers, refurbishes them, and preinstalls genuine Microsoft software.
The bottom line when talking about the proper disposal of e-waste is to convert them into less harmful items before disposing them off completely. There should be a sound policy on this subject and should be implemented without any irregularities for the benefit of the entire planet.
Related: How and why you should recycle Smartphones.
