Saya semula yakin bahwa e-industri 100% tidak polluting. Sampai saya baca berita Agence France Presse dibawah ini. Pollutant utamanya adalah plastik yang kalau dibakar ditempat terbuka akan menghasilkan gas carcinogenic atau penyebab kanker. Juga mercury (Hg).
Salam, RM -------------------------- Bangalore chokes under e-waste More than 1,000 different toxic substances lurking around Bangalore AS INFORMATION technology firms continue to swamp India's technology hub of Bangalore, the city is starting to choke under a heap of e-waste generated from obsolete computers and discarded electronic components. Environmentalists and officials say that the waste contains more than 1,000 different toxic substances harmful to human beings and the environment. 'If we do not wake up now, it will boomerang on us in the next five years,' said Mr Bakul Rao, a consultant with research body Environment Management and Policy Research Institute. The institute says that about 1,000 tonnes of plastics, 1,000 tonnes of iron, 300 tonnes of lead, 43 tonnes of nickel and 350 tonnes of copper will be generated as e-waste in Bangalore. 'This figure will increase by tenfold in 2020 when Bangalore will generate one-third of the state's e-waste,' Mr Rao said. 'The findings are quite alarming as there are no regulations and no scientific disposal systems.' Bangalore has more than 500 recyclers of discarded computers and electronic components. They sell second-hand parts either to computer assemblers in the grey market or to buyers directly at the weekly Sunday bazaar. Most then burn the waste - mainly plastics and printed circuit boards - in illegal dump yards near residential areas, releasing toxic and carcinogenic substances into the air. The recyclers, most of whom work with their bare hands, also extract precious metals such as gold and silver using crude chemical processes. 'There is no scientific recycling happening anywhere in Bangalore. Most of the e-waste, including lead and plastic, is dumped along with the municipal waste and then burned,' Mr Rao said. The burning of printed circuit boards at a low temperature leads to the release of extremely toxic components which can cause cancer, a report by the institute said. Barium found in e-waste, it added, could damage the heart and liver while other chemicals such as beryllium found in computer motherboards and cadmium in chip resistors and semiconductors are poisonous and could lead to cancer. Chromium in floppy disks, lead in batteries and computer monitors, and mercury in alkaline batteries and fluorescent lamps also pose severe health risks. Environmental activist Kishore Wankhade said India's struggle to manage e-waste was worrying. 'It will be a total mess within another seven years. The government has woken up but the response is not quick enough,' Mr Wankhade said. Government officials said that they have formed a working group - the Central Pollution Board - to tackle the problem and the next meeting of the body is slated for this month. Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley, is home to 1,422 technology firms. \-- AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE -- ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi-india.uni.cc *************************************************************************** __________________________________________________________________________ Mohon Perhatian: 1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik) 2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari. 3. Lihat arsip sebelumnya, www.ppi-india.da.ru; 4. Posting: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 6. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 7. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
