When you think of pollution, you think of car emissions, aerosol sprays and similar things, right? Does your cell phone ever come to mind? Researchers say it should. Millions of cell phones are sold each year. Some are replacements for a broken unit; many are simply upgrades to the newest and most advanced model. The question is; what happens to all those old cell phones? Many are hanging around in people’s desk drawers, getting pushed aside until the day comes when you choose to clean house. What should you do with them?
Recycle! We live in such a throw-away society today. There are still those who will simply throw their non-functioning cell phone in the trash. Did you know that cell phones and their batteries contain such toxic substances such as lead, mercury and arsenic? Left in landfills, these substances can leak out and pollute our soil and our water supply. Some waste facilities burn their landfills, releasing these dangerous toxins into the air.
Consumer electronics such as cell phones account for as much as 40% of lead that is found in landfills today. The circuit boards inside cell phones are soldered together with lead. This lead can easily seep into the ground and then be carried to nearby lakes and streams. This not only pollutes the fish existing in those bodies of water, but also will be affecting the water supply we drink. Lead poisoning is especially dangerous to infants and young children. Continued exposure to lead can lead to mental retardation, developmental and mental delays and learning disabilities.
These toxic chemicals not only affect humans, but plants and animals too. Wild and domestic animals which graze on the vegetation grown on land areas near landfills can fall prey to the dangerous effects of these toxins as well.
By recycling your old cell phones, you are doing so much more than just keeping dangerous toxins from our environment. There are many organizations which refurbish and re-use each part on your old cell phone and use these to build new cell phones. These refurbished cell phones are then sold and distributed in developing areas such as Latin America and Africa. Proceeds from those sales are then used to fund many charitable causes, including environmental issues.
Cell phone pollution should be a concern to us all; especially those of us who use a mobile device. We need to take responsibility for recycling our old cell phones. You can find drop boxes for old cell phones in many places including schools, businesses, even outside zoos. If you don’t know where a drop box is in your area, just call a recycling plant and they will be able to assist you. Online assistance is also available via a search engine such as Google or Yahoo search.
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