A Review on Electronic Waste Pollution

There is rapid growth of environmental pollution due the production of electrical and electronic products and their improper disposal. About 80% of e-waste from developed countries is illegally exported to developing countries because of the lower labor costs and lack of governmental regulations. The decreasing costs and increasing availability of electronic equipments like mobiles, televisions, computers and their accessories with advanced technology and the fast rate at which the outdated units are changed, has given rise to a new stream of waste known as Electronic waste (E-waste). E-waste contains two major types of substances: hazardous and nonhazardous both types have potential negative environmental impacts. It consists of various metals, metalloids, precious metals, halogenated compounds and radioactive elements. Metals and metalloids include Aluminium, Arsenic, Antimony, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Europium, Lead, Lithium, Iron, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Selenium, Silica, Tin, Yttrium, Zinc, etc. Precious metals include Gold, Indium, Silver, Palladium, Platinum, etc. Halogenated compounds like Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB), Tetrabromobisphenol (TBBA), Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB), Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE), Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), Polyvinylchloride (PVC) are present. Radioactive metal like Americium is found in the electronic scrap. This review article provides a concise overview current e-waste scenario.