Electronic waste or `e-waste' is a rapidly growing form of solid waste worldwide. The heavy metals present in various electronic components demand attention because such metals may leach and pose significant health and environmental hazards (U.S. EPA, 2007). Knowledge of the potential of heavy metal leaching from e-waste represents an important contribution for developing U.S. standards for classifying e-waste as hazardous waste. Hazardous elements which leach from a variety of electronics wastes were assessed in laboratory batch studies. Electronic components evaluated included PC cathode ray tubes, PC motherboards, PC mice, television remote controls, and cellular phones. Each component was disassembled and digested using the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), EPA Method 1312, Method EA NEN 7371 (Dutch Environmental Agency), and Method DEV-S4 (Germany). The extracts were analyzed for lead, cadmium, chromium, silver, and cobalt. The TCLP consistently leached the greatest amounts of all metals; TCLP-soluble lead was extracted well beyond federal limits for several electronic devices. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/188284 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Fitzwater, Kendra K. |
| Contributors | Pichtel, John |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | vi, 81 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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