Environmental Health Risk Assessment Of Australian E-waste Ending Up In Toxic African Dump

Background – Why the Need for Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is the process of identifying hazards that can have a negative impact on the working of an organization. Risk assessment can be also be performed on the emerging environmental issues by using the application of Environmental Health Risk Assessment framework. In recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of e-waste, especially in the developed countries. The easiest target for the developed countries is to dump their e-waste in other nations that are less developed. According to the reports of the United Nations, the easy target for the developed countries, to dump their e-waste are the poorer nations. The same has been witnessed in Australia who has been transferring its waste to a poor nation like Africa. Today’s new technology is tomorrow’s electronic waste. The capital of the African country Ghana is Accra, this place has the world’s worst dump that is Agbogbloshie. A popular place for many countries to dump their waste with more than five hundred containers of waste imported into this place. This is where Australia also dumps most of its waste affecting the health of people, majorly children who are employed here due to the reason of cheap labor.

Australia is a country that consumes a large volume of electronic products every year. This addition of new electronics and gadgets transforms to 600,000 tons of electronic waste every year. In Accra’s Agbogbloshie dump, every month more than three containers of e-waste is brought from Australia. The computers and other e-waste that are broken and are a piece of garbage, are all hazardous waste and cannot be shipped out to another country, as it is illegal (Bansah, 2016). The dump has maximum employees as kids, many ranging from the age of 5-10 years. The children are exposed to the burning of this e-waste that emits a number of toxic which results in life-threatening diseases. This is due to being directly exposed to harmful elements like cadmium, lead, chromium, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated flame retardants. The inhaling of these toxic fumes is the biggest health hazard for both the adults and the children in such environment. Also, a huge number of children go missing from this dump from time to time. Thus, a risk assessment has to be conducted to bring a control on this entire situation (Davis, 2012).

Image source: (www.abc.net.au)

The children have a developing immune system and thus they are more vulnerable and can easily suffer from major health risks. The toxic from the e-waste affects the functioning of their body by weakening their nervous system, digestive system and the reproductive system. The various chemicals that are present in the e-waste can affect the children in the following ways-

• The brominated flame retardants are difficult to destroy that are an important component of plastic casings and the circuit boards. The children can suffer from impaired learning due to long exposure to this toxin. Also, this toxin has an impact on the estrogen and thyroid hormone system (Davis, 2014).
• The computer monitors have a cathode ray tube that has a huge amount of lead in it. This can damage the children’s nervous system and the blood. Also, it weakens the reproductive system in adults.
• The rechargeable computer battery contains cadmium that affects the bones and the kidneys of children.
• The various advancement in the lighting devices is very fascinating, but it contains mercury, which is responsible for damaging the brain and the central part of the nervous system in children.
• The chromium that is utilized in the manufacturing of metal housing is a very toxic chemical and can be carcinogenic to children (Davis & Herat, 2009).

Risk Management Method

Image source: (www.abc.net.au)

These toxic chemicals have an immense effect on the health of the children. According to an environmental report of Ghana, Mike Anane, the chemicals have such a huge effect on the children that many of them would not be alive for their 20^th birthday (Anane, 2017). This it is very important to conduct an environmental risk assessment on this problem.

The Environmental Health Research Assessment framework has provided five steps for the risk assessment that create a systematic approach to the risk assessment and helps in recognizing the root cause of the issue in a more simplified manner.  In analyzing the problem of e-waste dump in Ghana and its effect on the children’s health. There are also two methods for assessing the risk management. They are qualitative risk assessment and quantitative risk assessment. In this case, the qualitative risk assessment has been undertaken (Golev, Schmeda-Lopez, Smart, Corder & McFarland, 2016). The qualitative risk assessment categorizes the various issues and the activities into high, medium and low, which will be most appropriate for the issue of e-waste, to know the range of the risk. Also, the e-waste being exported to another country is an illegal method and there is no specific tracking device to know what waste is legal and what is illegal, as many of the exported waste is transferred under the label of working equipment. So, the qualitative risk assessment is appropriate for this case.

• Identification of Issues

There are issues in the e-waste management from the initial stage till the last stage. The first issue is that this is an illegal practice and it is being performed largely in Australia. The root cause of this is the huge accumulation of e-waste that happens due to the new replacements. Australia has to get rid of this waste and thus dumping it in Ghana is the best option (Hla & Roberts, 2015). The second issue is the improper treatment that is conducted on the e-waste by burning. The third issue is the utilization of children for cheap labor that is unethical and the people who are getting the most damaged in this entire process. The fourth issue is the volatilization of some very dangerous toxic chemicals that result in life-threatening diseases (Ignjatovic, Djurdjevac-Ignjatovic, Ljubojev & Zlatanovic, 2015). According to the qualitative method of risk assessment, all these issues will be categorized as high, as it is a vicious cycle that is continuously going on with no alteration that will help the environment or the children.

Evaluating the Risk Assessment Information

Image Source: (www.greencitizen.com)

• Hazard Identification

Element	Affect	Intensity
Brominated flame retardants	Learning disabilities	High
Lead	Nervous system	High
Cadmium	Kidneys & Bones	Medium
Mercury	Brain	Medium
Chromium	Cancer	Medium

The above table lists the different chemicals that are a huge part of the e-waste. All this affect the children who are employed in the dumping area due to cheap labor. These chemicals affect the children in different ways, attacking the different functioning systems of their body. It happens due to the direct contact to the e-waste and becoming a part of the treatment that is conducted on the e-waste. The children are at high risk, their health is in danger which will have a massive effect on their future too. The children in the dumping area regularly have open sores and have major skin diseases too. According to the qualitative risk assessment, the children’s lives are at a higher risk (Irianti, 2016).

• Dose-response Assessment

This stage of the risk assessment framework quantitates the hazard assessment that was recognized in the step before. This stage helps in determining the relationship between the dose and the incidence that have an effect on the humans. In this case, this will help in knowing the effect of the hazard in terms of high dose or low dose (Jafaru et al., 2015).

Incidence	Dose
Burning	High Dose
Leaching	High Dose
Dismantling	Low Dose

• Exposure

The children are in direct exposure to all the treatment that is performed on the e-waste as they are part of it. For the other children who do not work in the dump are also getting affected due to the polluted environment that is filled with toxic gases that are the result of burning and leaching process (Nduka Ojeh, 2017). The exposure has different patterns which are continuous, intermittent, random, cyclic and concentrated. The level of exposure of the children in the e-waste treatment is-

Exposure	Intensity
Continuous	High
Intermittent	Low
Random	Medium
Cyclic	High
Concentrated	Low

• Risk Characterization

The main risks that have been identified in this case are the damage of children’s health, an illegal process that is working in a vicious cycle and the increasing amount of e-waste in Australia and in the dumping area of Accra (Ndur, Amegbey, Agyeman & Frempong, 2011). These risks can be further categorized qualitatively as-

Risk	Characterization
Damage to children’s health	high
Illegal vicious cycle	high
High rate of increase in e-waste	high

The information that has been acquired from the qualitative risk assessment method, provides some shocking information that raises many concerns for the environment of Ghana and the increasing problems due to the increasing e-waste (Nnorom, Osibanjo, Okechukwu, Nkwachukwu & R.C, 2010). This is a known fact that the e-waste will increase with the addition of a new technology or an invention in the world. It is an interrelated process in which with the increase in technology the e-waste will increase and this is a continuous process that will never end. The addition of new technology cannot be controlled and thus the growing increase in the e-waste is impossible to control. The effect on the children have been signified as high danger and the components that are the main cause of this danger are emitted majorly in high, volumes affecting the environment and the children. According to Vijay N. Bishnoi, the e-waste majorly consists of elements that are very dangerous for human lives as many of them makes lowland gas which is explosive (Bishnoi, 2014). Also, in the opinion of Nukpezah & Okine, the e-waste have increased the level of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and the polychlorinated biphenyl in the breast milk that is due to the informal activities that are conducted for the recycling activities (Nukpezah & Okine, 2014). Thus, the risk assessment provides proofs of high danger in Accra both to the children and the environment.

Image source: (cdn.newsapi.com)

There is an urgent need of actions that have to be seriously implemented and monitoring regularly, to control the growing problems of e-waste.

• There is a need for a device to monitor and control the transfer of illegal e-waste to Ghana.

This is important for the children of Ghana as this will reduce the dumping of e-waste.

• There is a serious need for using equipment that helps in controlling pollution. There should be a separate are for dismantling CRT and also many other elements that are a part of e-waste.
• The recycling of the waste should be done with methods that help in reducing pollution and the emission of toxic chemicals should be appropriately handled. Burning and leaching should be performed properly (Huang, 2017).
• The hazardous waste that is obtained from the recycling process should be stored in different containers and should be left open that they contaminate the soil, air and water.
• There is an urgent need in Accra to build a modern recycling plant, in which every activity will be performed under the guidance of experts who have the knowledge of proper treatments for the e-waste.
• For the reason of cheap labor, the children should be employed in the dumping area and there is a need for building stricter rule to control this problem.
• There is a need for creating a high standard of occupational safety and there is also a need for using better health equipment during the process of recycling waste.

Conclusion

The country Ghana is in a critical state where there is an urgent need for controlling the hazardous effects of e-waste on the environment and the children. The growing percentage of children who are affected by skin diseases, weaker immune system, open sores and many other problems, is increasing with at a rapid speed. The government has to implement some regulations that prohibit children from the dumping area and also for the functioning of the dumping area, as it is very important for the environment too. There is also a huge need of reusing the gadgets that have hit their end life. Instead of completely rejecting them there is a need for utilizing them in different ways to reduce the amount of e-waste. Even the defective products should be utilized in various ways. In many countries, the e-waste is also used to make bizarre art pieces, the people of Ghana should come up with such creative ways to use the e-waste.

References

Anane, M. (2017). Australian e-waste ending up in toxic African dump, torn apart by children. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-10/australian-e-waste-ending-up-in-toxic-african-dump/8339760

Bansah, K. (2016). Particulate Matter and Noise Impact Studies of Waste Rock Dump. Ghana Mining Journal, 16(1), 60.

Bishnoi, V. (2014). E-Waste: A New Environmental Challenge. International Journal Of Advanced Research In Computer Science And Software Engineering, 4(2), 442-447. Retrieved from https://www.pimrindore.ac.in/(S(cyfmbmuls3g4lnqfqc2czjji))/Volume%204,issue1/E-WASTE%20MANAGEMENT%20AND%20ITS%20CONSEQUENCES%20A%20LITERATURE%20REVIEW.pdf

Davis, G. (2012). Formulating a VET roadmap for the waste and recycling sector: A case study from Queensland, Australia. Waste Management, 32(10), 1802-1810.

Davis, G. (2014). Global Resources Recovery, Reuse, Recycling and Conversion: An Overview from Queensland, Australia. The Journal Of Solid Waste Technology And Management, 39(4), 225-233.

Davis, G., & Herat, S. (2009). Opportunities and constraints for developing a sustainable E-waste management system at local government level in Australia. Waste Management & Research, 28(8), 705-713.

Golev, A., Schmeda-Lopez, D., Smart, S., Corder, G., & McFarland, E. (2016). Where next on e-waste in Australia?. Waste Management, 58(6), 348-358.

Hla, S., & Roberts, D. (2015). Characterisation of chemical composition and energy content of green waste and municipal solid waste from Greater Brisbane, Australia. Waste Management, 41(1), 12-19.

Huang, W. (2017). The relationship between the waste recycling fee and subsidy of due recyclable waste. Environmental Economics, 7(1), 67-75.

Ignjatovic, D., Djurdjevac-Ignjatovic, L., Ljubojev, M., & Zlatanovic, D. (2015). Analysis and relationship of safety coefficient (Fs) and critical factor of influence the stress reduction (SRF) in the case of external waste dump of the east waste dump – profile III-III open pit ‘Gacko’ Gacko. Mining And Metallurgy Engineering Bor, 1(1), 17-36.

Irianti, S. (2016). Hospital Waste Management in Queensland, Australia, 2010: A Case Study for Sustainable Hospital Waste Management in Indonesia. Media Penelitian Dan Pengembangan Kesehatan, 26(2), 20-40.

Jafaru, H., Dowuona, G., Adjadeh, T., Nartey, E., Nude, P., & Neina, D. (2015). Geochemical Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution as Impacted by Municipal Solid Waste at Abloradjei Waste Dump Site, Accra-Ghana. Research Journal Of Environmental And Earth Sciences, 7(3), 50-59.

Nduka Ojeh, V. (2017). Rice Husk for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Polluted Soils at Agbogbloshie E-Waste Dump Site in Accra Ghana. Scifed Journal Of Global Warming, 1(1), 44-77.

Ndur, S., Amegbey, N., Agyeman, J., & Frempong, V. (2011). Acid Mine Drainage Potential of the Coral Snake Waste Dump, Anglogold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine. Ghana Mining Journal, 12(1), 50-78.

Nnorom, I., Osibanjo, O., Okechukwu, K., Nkwachukwu, O., & R.C, C. (2010). Evaluation of Heavy Metal Release from the Disposal of Waste Computer Monitors at an Open Dump. International Journal Of Environmental Science And Development, 1(1), 227-233.

Nukpezah, D., & Okine, H. (2014). Electronic waste risk assessment and management in Ghana. Retrieved from https://enviroinfo.eu/sites/default/files/pdfs/vol8514/0205.pdf

Image References

(2018). Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8340910-3×2-700×467.jpg

(2018). Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/image/8340912-3×2-700×467.jpg

(2018). Retrieved from https://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/45c0a4ea6564c62c59a9f23c8ab6804d

Harmful Effects- e-waste dumping. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.greencitizen.com/learn-more/harmful-effects/

Moore’s Law and the Negative Side Effects. (2018). Retrieved from https://rnichols2015.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/moores-law-and-the-negative-side-effects/