Worldwide computer sales are at their all time high with around two hundred million units sold each year around the world, this is about seven hundred thousand laptops and PC’s a day! According to Space Daily this number is expected to double about year two thousand and ten. So what are we doing with all the computers that are old and what is happening with all the hazardous materials from our computers that the informational age is based upon? The problem is staggering considering that there are no laws or information on safe computer recycling in most of the world.
Computer is composed almost entirely of non recyclable materials, some of which even are hazardous not only to the environment but also to humans. Circuit Boards which make up all of the important parts of computers have a lot of lead that makes up the solder that is used to solder the components in place. Cadmium is used excessively in contacts and switches in old laptops that used NiCd batteries and the inhalation of cadmium oxide has severe adverse effects on the human respiratory system. Mercury is used in flat screen monitors and can enter water bodies and do a considerable amount of damage to the environment. Bromine which also is present on motherboards and other printed circuit boards in the form of TBBPA (tetrabromobisphenol a) has been shown to intervene with the animal body development which is linked to impaired memory function. A lot more materials are considered toxic inside an ordinary house computer and when a person thinks their computer is just too old or broken they just toss it in a dump instead of properly disposing of these dangerous materials.
Many profitable businesses have sprung up around the United States that deal with electronic waste and remove profitable materials out of old computers. Copper is abundantly used in electronics for low resistive wiring and cooling of components that produce a lot of heat during their operation.