subject: What's My Mobile Made Of? [print this page] Every phone has a battery, a Lcd screen made from mercury, transmitters made from beryllium, some sort of vibrator manufactured from coltan, diodes made up of antimony, motherboard solder made from lead, arsenic-based semiconductors, bromides to keep the device from catching fire, as well as a shell made of PVC. Every one of these chemical compounds, when pulled apart and absorbed, are highly dangerous. Often called persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs), the united states Epa claims that PBTs tend to be associated with a variety of unpleasant human health consequences, such as damage to the neurological system, reproductive system and also developmental problems, cancer and genetic effects.
Now, most of us dont go around wanting to try to eat our mobile phone handsets, however, picture this: five hundred million cell phones decomposing within a landfill, sloughing off particles of nickel, cadmium, mercury, lead, and all the rest into the earth. These types of volatile organic compounds run down through the earth until such time as they get to the groundwater system, when they will feed directly into our waters, streams, rivers and drinking reservoirs. We employ that water to fish, to grow our plants, and also to nourish our bodies. Fresh water is the priimary source of all life for this planet, and now we are toxifying it by tossing our cell phones en masse thoughtlessly in the rubbish.
What is more, entire village economies in the under developed world survive on junked being melted down by the thousands for their trace precious materials. Fire causes these toxic chemicals to get in the air and into the lungs of people that work with the mobile phones.As you might expect, life span in these villages isn't long.
Thats Dreadful! Just how Was This Allowed to Take place?
Our lives are so rushed todaytt, and we barely have chance to think about where things we take for granted come from or are disposed of to. Every single day all of us are surrounded by harmful chemicals encased inin plastic, which itself is dangerous if melted or broken down. Why would we question something so useful?
We should continue to use our mobiles, we just need to educate ourselves about what is in our phones and be judicious in how we dispose of them.
What Should We Do?
It'sIt is imperative that we recycle our mobile handsets when we upgrade or perhaps when they stop working. It is such a simple action, taking at worst, ten minutes longer than throwing it in the bin. Recycling can take many forms, giving the handset to a friend, selling it, or putting it on ebay are three examples.
