Health risk for Ghana children from electronic goods recycling

The Telegraph 20 Aug 08;

Children are putting their health at risk salvaging metals from unwanted electronic equipment being dumped in west Africa.

Containers full of e-waste arrive by ship from Europe, North America and Japan and find their way onto dumps such as this one in Agbogbloshie market in Ghana's capital Accra.

Electronic goods are stripped down and sold for parts and then discarded. Children - desperate to raise money for school fees or to help support their families - then raid them for any remaining pieces of copper or aluminium in cables and motors.

To get at the metals the plastic casing is burned off releasing toxins in plumes of black smoke.

A recent investigation by a Greenpeace science team found that the waste is poisoning the environment. Analysis of soil and sediment revealed that it was contaminated with hazardous chemicals.

Some of the samples contained toxic metals including lead in quantities as much as 100 times above levels found in uncontaminated soil and sediment samples.

Other chemicals such as phthalates, some which are known to interfere with sexual reproduction, were found in most of the test samples. One sample also contained a high level of chlorinated dioxins, known to promote cancer.

"Many of the chemicals released are highly toxic, some may affect children's developing reproductive systems, while other can affect brain development and the nervous system," said Dr Kevin Brigden of Greenpeace International.

Greenpeace said containers full of old and often broken computers, monitors and TVs from many household brands arrive in Ghana from Germany, Korea, Switzerland and the Netherlands falsely labelled "second-hand goods" where they end up in scrapyards or dumps.

Workers and children use their bare hands salvaging parts where they are exposed to toxic fumes and dust.

The crude recycling is mainly for aluminium and copper which sells for approximately $2 per five kilos.

Martin Hojsik, Greenpeace international toxics campaigner, said: "Unless companies eliminate all hazardous chemicals from their electronic products and take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products, this poisonous dumping will continue.

"Electronics companies must not allow their products to end up poisoning the poor around the world."