E-waste produces carcinogenic effects when not treated properly

Research from the University of Alicante, Spain, has confirmed that most of the waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is not treated properly - and that the uncontrolled burning of such products produces brominated pollutants which have carcinogenic effects.

Once re-used and recycled in treatment plants, electronic devices will pass into thermal systems (incinerators, cement plants, ceramics, etc) where contaminants can be destroyed under controlled conditions. The research group states that most of these wastes are not treated properly and are being moved to third-world countries, where they are burned with no control. A small amount of e-waste remains reaches controlled dumping sites within Spain - along with the danger of the emission of carcinogens caused by spontaneous combustion.

The research is part of a doctoral thesis by Nuria Ortuño, the objective of which is to analyse the effect of the presence of metals during WEEE treatment. During the four years of the study, researchers have observed that the amount of brominated pollutants increases dramatically in the presence of metals and with low temperature and low presence of oxygen, which are very much controlled in heat treatment systems.

Ortuño has utilised several items of electronic equipment to investigate the possibility of producing brominated contaminants during treatment and even during product life. In one study, she heated up to 250°C a TV case made of high-impact polystyrene, a common material in such devices. Thesis director Juan A Conesa explained that at temperatures below 100°C, which is reached by televisions in the home, there are no major pollution problems; the trouble is the temperatures they are subjected to during manufacturing and recycling processes.

Data obtained in 2012 suggests that 9.9 million tonnes of WEEE were generated in Europe. In Spain, the figure amounted to 800,000 tonnes - equivalent to 18 kg per capita.

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