Environmentalists Decry E-Waste Handling Practices

Date: February 28, 2002

Source: News Room

An international group of environmental organizations has charged that computer makers and their consumers, along with the U.S. government, have used Asian nations as a dumping ground for hazardous electronic waste. "Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia" contends that "huge quantities" of e-waste are being exported to China, Pakistan, and India, where subsequent handling presents a significant threat to human and environmental health. The report was issued by the Basel Action Network and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, with contributions from Toxics Link India, a Pakistani group called SCOPE, and Greenpeace China. The centerpiece of the report is an investigation into the Guiyu area of southern China. The groups report that 100,000 poor and migrant workers break apart and process obsolete computers imported chiefly from North America. More information: The Basel Action Network, www.ban.org.

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