
e-Waste and Environmental Health
According to the SVTC, a lack of data complicates our understanding of the potential health effects from exposure to e-wastes. Ultimately, e-waste poses the most direct health risks when it degrades and the internal chemicals are released to the environment. Lead and mercury are highly potent neurotoxins, particularly among children, who can suffer IQ deficits and developmental abnormalities at very low levels of exposure. Cadmium, a toxic metal found in circuit boards, is listed by the EPA as a "probable human carcinogen," and also produces pulmonary damage when burned and inhaled. Hexavalent chromium, also used in circuit boards, has been found to produce lung and sinus tumors when inhaled at high doses.
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