Everyday tons of hazardous electronic waste is dumped in China and other developing countries. These wastes come from various items that we use in our everyday life; some include batteries, kitchen appliances, used computer equipment, and other worn out electronic devices. These items contain chemicals, heavy metals, dangerous pathogens, and other toxins. Many places like the U.S. or the UK have not officially banned exportation of these electronic items, and countries like China still do not enforce their rules of banning e-waste importation. China allows a city like Guiyu to collect, dissemble, and produce toxic e-waste because they are a developing country who needs the money that they receive by taking in this e-waste. Since recent booms in sales of electronic items more of this e-waste is being made, which makes it hard to enforce exportation of it; because of the rate that e-waste is filling into landfills also makes it harder to discard of it. (“Toxic Waste”)
In the city of Guiyu an environmental problem has spiraled out of control, citizens are being allowed to dismantle electronic waste (most imported) in their homes and near by workshops. In China recycling e-waste is not taken as a threat to the environment or health and safety regulations. Even though the Chinese law prohibits the importation of e-waste and Beijing is part of the Basle Agreement, (an international treaty that is banning the shipment of e-waste from developed countries to developing countries), they still import e-waste. Only in Guiyu are officials allowing this importation of e-waste, because it provides the cities residents with income; and so far China has not put a stop to it, because they are so hungry for all sorts of metals and the money that they earn for taking the metals and electronic items. (“In The ‘Toxic City of Guiyu, Children Play Among The Waste”)
Developed countries like the U.S. (which did not sign the Basle Agreement) could keep their e-waste and properly dispose of it, but the cost of doing so does not outweigh environmental and health problems that are appearing in developing countries like China. (“In The ‘Toxic City of Guiyu, Children Play Among The Waste”) Even though the U.S. has tried to put a stop to the exportation of e-waste, corporate businesses argue to congress that environment and health problems are not a big deal, and the government is being too strict. Plus the government would be taking away from earnings that they receive every year. Communities and environmentalists are still complaining about law enforcement of regulations of hazardous e-waste. (“Toxic Waste”)
The impact that e-waste is having on the wellbeing of the people in Guiyu is disastrous, and much of this could be stopped with a few e-waste regulations. “Computer carcasses line the streets, awaiting dismemberment. Circuit boards and hard drives lie in huge mounds. At thousands of workshops, laborers shred and grind plastic casings into particles, snip cables and pry chips from circuit boards. Workers pass the boards through red-hot kilns or acid baths to dissolve lead, silver and other metals from the digital detritus.” (“Chinese City Is World’s Digital Scrap Heap”)
In Guiyu, workers are dismembering various electronic items. Most of them are equipped with only small hand tools; which they use to take apart old computers, monitors, printers, DVD players, telephones, MP3 players, and other electronic objects. Several of these items come from brand named companies (like HP, LG, Apple, and Compaq) who say they recycle their products. Workers that are unaware of these toxins tear apart each piece of electronic items to its smallest components, and melt the items in open fires to extract metals. Others take the remaining pieces of scrap metals and dump them in water ways. (“Toxic Tea Party”)
All of this e-waste has an effect on the environment in Guiyu. “Water sources are black and pungent and choked with industrial waste, says Kevin Brigden. Brigden (Greenpeace Research Laboratories) tested streams in Guiyu and found out that acid was leaking into them. The streams had soaring levels of toxic heavy metals, which were powerful enough to disintegrate a penny in a few hours.” (Toxic Tea Party”) In Guiyu the price of water is ten times more than in other surrounding places. Water is usually brought to the people of the city by truck, because the streams are so heavily polluted that it turns a dark black color in seconds. (“Toxic Tea Party”) Local bosses pay little regard to workers’ health or regulations that prohibit dumping acid baths into rivers.
The e-waste has had a negative effect on the health of the people that live around it. This e-waste can harm humans and animals if they encounter these toxins. Some toxins persist in the environment and accumulate; humans or animals often absorb them. Organizations say that dangerous levels of the metals found in Guiyu have negative effects on children. (“Toxic Waste”) A group found "Over 10 poisonous metals, such as lead, mercury and cadmium, in Guiyu” said Lai Yun, a campaigner. (“Chinese City Is World’s Digital Scrap Heap”) “Professor Hun Xia (Shantou University Medical College) tested 165 children for concentrations of lead in their blood. Eighty two percent of Guiyu children had blood/ lead levels of more than 100. Anything above that figure is considered unsafe by health experts. The average reading for these children was 149” (“Toxic Tea Party”)
These high levels of lead in adults and children can lead to lower IQ’s and the development of the central nervous system. It also can cause headaches, nausea, miscarriages, and skin damage. Many of these symptoms that these people are having have not been treated properly, and the peasants do not understand what damage e-waste does to them. Clearly people suffer but that does not mean that they get paid good wages, on average workers earn about 200 to 300 yuan (US$ 24-US) per month in Guiyu. (“Toxic Tea Party”)
Some 60,000 laborers toil in Guiyu for e-waste recycling, even as the work imperils their health. “About 2.3 million PCs, 2.7 millions computer displays and 1.35 million printers were dumped in 2002.” (“In The ‘Toxic City’ Of Guiyu, Children Play Among The Waste”) Environmentalists say in Guiyu alone, one million tons of e-waste has been treated each year. Despite all the toxins that come from e-waste, its business provides Guiyu’s locals with a more profitable living. Many residents have had better opportunities since they started recycling e-waste. City officials are proud of the e-waste industry but sensitive about its reputation as a dirty business that feeds off smuggled waste and abuses labor rights. Visitors quickly find themselves detained by the local police officers, and their video or digital photographs erased. (“Toxic Tea Party”)
In Guiyu most discarded computers and electronic devices from all over the world often end up there, this may be why it’s the e-waste capital of the world. Some developed countries have banned exportation of e-waste, but even if e-waste exports stopped Guiyu recycling would not stop; because China is generating more of its own e-waste. While we may consider the environmental and health problems that e-waste poses for people there, citizens in Guiyu do no think this way; because doing this work is their way of life. Conditions in Guiyu have changed little despite the efforts of the central government to crack down and enforce the long-standing e-waste import ban. The developed countries need to stop exporting e-waste to poorer developing countries; and the U.S. needs to reduce the toxicity and amount of e-waste that is being dumped there every year. (“Toxic Villages”)
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