E-Waste: Assessing the Impact on Human Health and the Environment

This report investigates the impact of electronic waste (e-waste) on human health and the environment, addressing the escalating issue of e-waste disposal and its associated risks. It highlights the increasing generation of e-waste due to rapid technological advancements and the challenges in managing it effectively, including harmful recycling techniques and improper disposal methods. The study emphasizes the health risks, particularly for children and vulnerable populations, from exposure to toxic chemicals released during e-waste processing. It explores various e-waste management strategies like landfilling, incineration, and recycling, evaluating their effectiveness and potential hazards. The report also suggests ways individuals and organizations can reduce e-waste, such as promoting gadget longevity, donating used electronics, and purchasing environmentally friendly products. The research aims to raise awareness and identify effective solutions for minimizing e-waste's negative impacts.

IMPACT OF E-WASTE
UNIVERSITY NAME:
STUDENT NAME:
DATE:

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Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................1
SOCIAL ENQUIRY FOCUS..............................................................................................................................2
POSITIONALITY............................................................................................................................................3
PROBLEM STATEMENT................................................................................................................................5
AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH....................................................................................................6
RESEARCH QUESTION..................................................................................................................................6
INTENDED MEANS.......................................................................................................................................7
THE INTENDED CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESEARCH.................................................................................8
PLANNED RESEARCH STRATEGIES...............................................................................................................9
Population.............................................................................................................................................10
Sampling................................................................................................................................................10
Variables and analysis............................................................................................................................11
DESIRED DELIVERABLE AND OUTCOMES...................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES:.............................................................................................................................................13

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INTRODUCTION
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is one of the fastest and leading waste
management system which disposes of the electronic waste in the vast amount is the major
environmental issue. The techniques for recycling the electronic waste mainly includes
dissolution and burning of harmful acids which have taken no corrective measures to protect the
environment and human health. The improper and inappropriate way of disposing of the waste
leads to the harmful and dangerous exposures. According to the report of the U.S University,
around 50 million metric tons of electronic waste is generated and disposes of worldwide in
2018. As per the statistics of Canada, people generated approximately 725 kilotons of electronic
waste in 2014, and it is expected to increase by 800 kilotons in 2018. British Columbia, Ontario,
Quebec, and Alberta are one of the leading contributors to the increasing electronic waste in
Canada. The development of innovative equipment’s and technologies shortens the lifespan of
the electronic gadgets which put them in the waste stream which contributed badly for human
health and environment. This project will exemplify the overall idea of what type of research and
in what way should be conducted along with the appropriate methodologies, paradigms, and
methods to be used in the future.
The introduction part will describe the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and
its contribution to saving the humans and environment. It will also analyze the various
techniques to recycle the electronic waste and how it impacts the human life. A gap analysis will
be analyzed to know how it is important to conduct this research. The Problem statement will
elaborate the

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Understanding to know how electronic affecting the environment and human health. The
research plan will also be added along with the research aim and research question to go into
details.
SOCIAL ENQUIRY FOCUS
Electronic waste is also known as e-waste which has become the toxic legacy of the digital
lovers. Nowadays, people are very fond of electronic gadgets in any form. According to the
reports , every individual have two to three type of the electronic item for the personal use which
are causing lot of problems to the human health and environment. With an increasing technology
advancement, people demands new technology where the old gadgets become obsolete more
quickly. The number of sales is increasing day by day which means the number of obsolete
gadget are also increasing as people are fond of having new technology when a company
launches it. The electronic gadgets are highly available in affordable prices and for all classes of
people. The electronic item cannot be recycled easily and it’s not like recycling a plastic. The
physical designs of them and the material used to manufacture the electronic item makes the
process of recycling quite difficult and complicated. The electronic items contains between 5
pounds to 8 pounds lead in their body which is a serious matter concern to protect the society.
Most of the TVs and flat panel monitors could be recycled but they contain more mercury in
their mercury lamps as compare to the lead. It is to be believed that around 35% of the highly
heavy metal which includes cadmium, mercury, lead which mostly goes for the landfills as they
have less capability for the effective recycling process. The harmful chemical in them reach into
the ground water and water streams and even the burning of the e-waste releases the toxin
chemicals like dioxin. The toxic chemicals create the horrific living conditions for the people,
poisoning the people, air, land, and water. According to the reports, U.S has been collaborating

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with the Canada and Mexico to successfully promote the constructing capacity for the
environment friendly sound e-waste management system. Even, the EPA-led electronics task
force has been contributing enough to propagate the awareness on the electronic waste and help
the countries where the electronic waste of U.S exported. The buyers of the electronic products
as they have more power and capability to purchase the electronic items and contributed highly
to the environmental complexities. Due to the money power, people more likely to find the
substitute of the electronic items endeavor with latest technology and the older electronic items
generally become e-waste. When we retire our electronic items we generally have four options to
perform like donate it, recycle it, return it to the company or throw in the bin. The most probably,
people usually throw it to save themselves for the complex situation and high efforts. Many
NGOs are working to collect the electronic waste to donate to the needy ones or sent to the
recycle head to protect the society and environment. Many companies have adopted green
initiatives to reduce the harmful effects associated with the electronic waste. Apple has been
contributing enough and perform highly documented and notable efforts to reduce the amount of
carbon footprints in their electronic devices to protect the society along with this the company
also hires the suppliers who use less carbon to make electronic items.
POSITIONALITY
It is very crucial to conduct the research for spreading the awareness on the management of
electronic waste and appropriate solution to protect the human health and environment. In the era
of digitalization, it is very obvious that people are more likely to spend time with their electronic
gadgets rather than anything. Everything is available online with can only be available to an
individual if the person has electronic gadgets. The major source of electronic waste in U.K is
Refrigerators and batteries, semiconductor and chip resistors, air conditioners and microwave,

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and mobiles. This is true that people are very fond of having different types of electronic items
with them for personal use but nowadays people are very educated and highly conscious for the
health so, government must try to spread the awareness to protect the environment and health of
the people (Katz & Kahn, 1978). The harmful chemicals which are generally used for the
manufacturing of the electronic items are printed board assemblies, mercury relays and switches,
and capacitors. The use of electronic items is highly increasing worldwide due to the
digitalization and modernization of the standard of the life. There is no such effective waste
management system which resulted in the high amount of the electronic waste. It is very crucial
to identify the effective disposable and recycling technique to decrease the health hazards and
environment pollution. There are three effective technique reduce the electronic waste from the
environment, i.e. landfilling, recycling and incineration. Landfilling is the most widely used
method to reduce the e-waste and disposal of the e-waste. The hazardous chemical from the soil
can mix in the ground water that may go in the ponds and sea which makes life of aquatic
animals quite difficult. Incineration is the complete and controlled process related to the
combustion of the electronic waste under which the e-waste has been heated under the high
degree of temperature. There is a high risk associated with it as the fumes mixes in the air which
is harmful for the health of the humans around it. This process successfully lessens the harmful
effects of the e-waste and makes it to the minimum level. Recycling is a process of the
eradication of the various parts of the e-waste that releases the harmful substances like separation
of plastic material, PCB, separation of non-ferrous and ferrous material, floppy drives, and hard
disk. It is very to look for the various alternatives to protect the society. Reducing the amount of
e-waste will help to use as the raw material of the different devices along with also help in

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reducing the amount of energy people take for manufacture the device. People can contribute in
reducing the e-waste by following ways:
 People must ask themselves if they really need another gadget. Instead of purchasing
different devices, they may go for a gadget which has multiple effective functions.
 People must try to keep their gadgets clean and safe to extend the lifespan of the
electronic items.
 People may donate the used electronics items to needy ones.
 People may purchase the environment-friendly products which have certified stars to
reduce the e-waste.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Nowadays, e-waste has become a vulnerable issue to be recognized before it opens its feather
and started affected the environment and human health badly. Today, in the era of digitalization,
people are fond of having electronic gadgets, they didn’t even think twice before purchasing any
electronic gadget. The e-waste is causing many hazardous impacts on the health of the humans.
Mostly children suffered from e-waste exposure and they are highly vulnerable to health issues
which need protection. The e-waste in many form mixes with water, air, food which affects the
children stamina that is generally weak. The toxic chemicals goes in the food may highly
increase or decrease the weight of the people who got affected with it along with this the major
risk of chemical absorption is largely associated with the children’s. It mainly affects the
reproductive system, digestive system, immune system and central nervous system. Children’s
are often play outside which is highly vulnerable to the health issues like breathing, digestive and
many related issues. It is to be believed that pregnant women’s who come in direct or indirect
contact with the recycling bodies have shown a heavy burden on their body with physiologic

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deposits which is generally associated with the adipose and bones tissues. The developing child
may get infected and may occur serious health problems which are a matter of concern.
Neurodevelopmental deficits are one of the major issues when examining the major exposure to
health in the children living around these e-waste recycling communities. Environmental
scientist, engineers and others professionals are contributing to reduce the e-waste by spreading
awareness and identifying effective and efficient techniques to reduce its exposure. Now, it is the
high time to make the people aware that how the use of electronic device is killing or ruining the
society from its roots (Katz & Kahn, 1978).
AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH
Aim: The aim of the research is to identify the effects of the electronic waste on the human
health and environment. It will generally describe the health issues and other harmful effects
associated with the electronic waste. It will also consider the WEEE perspective to identify
the situation in detail. The major focus of the report is on the effective strategies and
techniques to reduce the electronic waste and spreads the awareness to achieve the desired
goals.
RESEARCH QUESTION
RQ1: Does the electronic waste affect the environment and health of the humans?
RQ2: Is it possible to reduce the harmful effects of the electronic waste, if yes, then what
techniques it is?
RQ3: What would be the impact of the electronic waste on children’s and old age persons?

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INTENDED MEANS
There are two methods to use the information for conducting the well-planned research, i.e.
primary sources and secondary sources. For conducting this research, it will be beneficial to go
with the both sources which is primary sources and secondary sources because many research
have been already attempted to identify the impact of the electronic waste on the environment
and human health. To conduct a research, it is very crucial to use both kinds of source to
generate effective data to being productive outcomes. Primary source of data is written by some
experts that experienced him by interviewing or witnessed in that particular situation. The
original sources related to the primary data are letters, diaries, journals, articles, manuscripts and
speeches. Secondary source is interpreting or draw the conclusions regarding the major event
reported in primary source. To conduct a research on identifying the impact of the electronic
waste on the environment and human health, it is very significant to find the relevant newspaper
of the recent five years to know the exact and authentic consequences happens with the higher
exposure to the electronic waste. The authorities or the people who are conducting this research
have various alternatives to deal with this hazardous issue. The relevant newspaper, articles,
journals and blogs may help in determining the situation. It is very important to know the
number of electronic gadgets with the people and identify why people purchase the electronic
items frequently as compare to the other types of the items. The researcher may opt to the meet
the representatives or heads of the electronic waste management system to know the current
situation and methodologies used for the electronic waste management or know about many
documents for the success of the research. The interview will help to know the important
information related to the electronic waste management system along with the appropriate
remedies or steps taken to reduce or eradicate the issue. To conduct a well-defined research or to
make a research successful, it generally depends upon the authenticity and worthiness of the

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source of information. Senior researchers advises that to conduct a successful research, it is very
important to identify the authenticity of the source of information like where it is publisher, who
is the publisher, date, author of the particular journal or article (Katz & Kahn, 1978).
THE INTENDED CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RESEARCH
The characteristics of the research should be considered appropriately as it relates the researcher
to the research. For the success of any research, it is crucial to conduct the research which can be
easily measurable. Today, there are many methods or instruments are available to measure the
data of the research to understand it properly. It is very important to know if the specific
instruments measure the research problem properly or not. It is believed that research if going
without validity may go in the wrong direction or May not able to accomplish the desired results.
The tools used for the research method are accurate and appropriate to analyze the research
problem.
The research conducted to analyze the impact of e-waste on the environment and human health
has faced some limitation. The data is not sufficient for the success of the research as some data
related to the how an individual can live without the electronic items in the era of digitalization.
The resource has only focus to which extent e-waste can impact negatively the society as a
whole. The variable related to the fact that it is somehow possible for the people to be without
the electronic gadgets as everything is available online even the proceedings related to the
government is online so, how it would make possible to lessen the use of electronic items. But
the research can be procced even the limitation was present because it is quite significant to
research this specified concern (Pérez-BeliS & Bovea & Ibáñez-Forés, 2015)

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The research will be very beneficial for the environment and health of the people. The quality of
the research depends upon that how people are affected by the electronic waste along with
identifying an appropriate solution for it. The research will help us to identify and scrutinize the
various alternatives which not only save the environment and people health but also provides
greater raw material for the manufacturing process of many electronic devices. According to the
reports that people have generally thrown their used devices rather than submitting them to the
respective company as the used device have several parts which can be finished and used as raw
material for the further manufacturing process. There is precious material found in the e-waste
which should be utilized instead of throwing in the bin which resulted in bad environmental
conditions. The research is very important as the harmful chemical released from the electronic
items is ruining our lives along with the adverse effects will lead to the ocean dump, mineral
mining, landfill, and crimes related to pollution. So, the increased recycling, the electronic and
electrical based manufacturing cab be proved to highly sustainable by minimizing the hunt for
fresh and repetitive raw materials (Bisschop, 2012).
PLANNED RESEARCH STRATEGIES
There are two types of methods available to conduct the research which is the quantitative
method and qualitative method. Quantitative method is mainly related to the structured
interviews, surveys, observations, and reviews of documents or records from the information
related to the numbers. Qualitative methods mainly include in-depth interviews, focus groups
and documents based on the specific issue or research problem. To conduct this research, the
quantitative method has been employed. The quantitative method is that type of method which
less number of the interviews, questionnaire, observations, case studies and subject group but it
mainly focuses on the collection and analysis of the numerical data for conducting research. For

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the research, the number of data related to the specific research has been used to bring the
maximum possible outcomes. So, it is very crucial to choose the realistic and appropriate method
for the research as the outcomes of the research will mainly depend upon the chosen method. To
perform this research, the researcher may contact the companies who are working on e-waste
management or the people who are also collaborating to reduce the impact of the e-waste for the
environment and health of the people worldwide (Schroeder, 2013). The data can also be
collected by conducting a personal interview with the head of the e-waste management system
body to go deeply in detail and better understand the effects related to it appropriately. It is very
important to analyze the impact of the e-waste to protect the health of the people which is slowly
ruined by the harmful chemicals released by the heavy electronic items. The information to
conduct the research can be taken by reviewing articles, interviewing a representative of the
electronic waste management system, which has worked or contribute little a bit to reduce the
electronic waste.
Population
The target population for conducting this research is the people who have at least one or two
devices with them in which one is of no use that may lead to e-waste. According to this research,
the impact of the e-waste is ruining the health of the people so; it gets important to propagate the
relative information to reduce the complexities.
Sampling
For this research methodology and reducing the e-waste worldwide, sampling is considered as
the best tool for the selection of a group of an individual within the specific population related to
the statistics to find the why e-waste is continuously rising and there is no positive expectation
that it will reduce to the optimum level. Each head related to the e-waste management or a