After reading about this massive environmental crisis, it really hit me again at how selfish and ignorant a country can be. The U.S. is fortunate in so many ways that greedy leadership takes for granted. The audacity for one to think it’s ok to basically dump trash in countries that are barely surviving. This e-trash is can be so detrimental to our health. The saying that reading is power is cliché, but extremely true. This is a problem I never really thought or knew much about. Now I am able to pass these shockingly sad facts on to friends and family.
Most impacting facts;
Dozens of indistinct figures move among the acrid haze, some stirring flames with sticks, others carrying armfuls of brightly colored computer wire. Most are children. (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text/3)
It is disturbing to hear that the youth in these countries, are so much involved in this sad epidemic. They have learned the ropes on how to deal with this trash, and put themselves at risk everyday just to try and make a little money.
High levels of flame retardants called PBDEs—common in electronics, and potentially damaging to fetal development even at very low levels—turned up in the blood of the electronics workers.
(http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text/3)
I was shocked to hear what the different materials found in e-trash rally does to the human body. It’s ludicrous to think that people work with these materials, and can potentially ruin their insides because of it.
The key to making money is speed, not safety. “The gas goes to your nose and you feel something in your head,” Mensah says, knocking his fist against the back of his skull for effect.
(http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text/3)
This quote would never fly with us uppity American’s. Sarcastic as I may sound, it is obviously not a safe principle. These people in charge of the trash don’t care about the safety of the worker’s their focus is speed and money. It horrible.
Personally I haven’t thrown away any electronics. I plan on finding the nearest drop boxes for my cell phones so that I can contribute to the proper way of disposing these items.
I enjoyed reading the interview with the photographer. He answered the questions well, and made things kind of visible to me. I really appreciated his work, because he exposed the dirt that America is throwing on others.
I hope there will be a huge change in the amount of e-trash that the world produces. The amount obviously needs to dramatically reduce. It’s funny because I have lived in Orlando, Fl. For two years and never heard of the recycling plant they have for e-trash in Tampa. It is only an hour from my house and I never knew about it, until reading this article. Hopefully we as a people can make a change and help to save the environment.
