For some workers, e-waste processing is their only lifeline. It's a means to an end and an income so that workers can take care of their home life. These individuals live in countries that do not have the necessary resources to dispose properly of e-waste. With that being said, worker's lives are constantly endangered due to their exposure to toxic chemicals and heavy metals.
"Old-style televisions and CRT monitors contain lead and phosphorous pentachloride, printed circuit boards contain arsenic, cadmium, mercury and bromides, and fridges contain CFCs. Buried in a landfill, broken up improperly or burnt, these toxins can be exposed to the air or leach out into the soil and into the water table."
- The Conversation
The dangers that are created by the improper disposal of e-waste on the environment ultimately have major impacts on human life. The health effects of these chemicals include birth defects, brain, heart, liver, kidney and skeletal system damage, and affects on the nervous and reproductive systems of the human body (GreenCitizen).
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Case Study: Abidjan, Ivory Coast
In 2006, the large ship docked at the port of Abidjan and offloaded toxic waste. The dumping allegedly led to the death of 15 people and the medical attention of over 100,000 Ivorians.