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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:17 pm
Time: 8:17 pm
Results for toxic waste
2 results foundAuthor: McDaniel, Dustin S. Title: No Escape: Exposure to Toxic Coal Waste at State Correctional Institution Fayette Summary: A 12-month investigation into the health impact of exposure to toxic coal waste on the prisoner population at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Fayette has uncovered an alarming rate of serious health problems. Surrounded by "about 40 million tons of waste, two coal slurry ponds, and millions of cubic yards of coal combustion waste," SCI Fayette is inescapably situated in the midst of a massive toxic waste dump.2 Over the past year, more and more prisoners have reported declining health, revealing a pattern of symptomatic clusters consistent with exposure to toxic coal waste: respiratory, throat and sinus conditions; skin irritation and rashes; gastrointestinal tract problems; pre-cancerous growths and cancer; thyroid disorders; other symptoms such as eye irritation, blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, hair loss, weight loss, fatigue, and loss of mental focus and concentration. The Human Rights Coalition (HRC), Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ), and the Abolitionist Law Center (ALC) launched this investigation in August 2013. The investigation is not only ongoing, but also is expanding, as HRC and ALC continue to document reports of adverse health symptoms and environmental pollution, interview current and former prisoners at SCI Fayette, and conduct research. No Escape describes the preliminary findings from our investigation into the declining health of prisoners at SCI Fayette while providing context about the toxic environment surrounding the prison. Our investigation found: - More than 81% of responding prisoners (61/75) reported respiratory, throat, and sinus conditions, including shortness of breath, chronic coughing, sinus infections, lung infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, extreme swelling of the throat, as well as sores, cysts, and tumors in the nose, mouth, and throat. - 68% (51/75) of responding prisoners experienced gastrointestinal problems, including heart burn, stomach pains, diarrhea, ulcers, ulcerative colitis, bloody stools, and vomiting. - 52% (39/75) reported experiencing adverse skin conditions, including painful rashes, hives, cysts, and abscesses. - 12% (9/75) of prisoners reported either being diagnosed with a thyroid disorder at SCI Fayette, or having existing thyroid problems exacerbated after transfer to the prison. - Eleven prisoners died from cancer at SCI Fayette between January of 2010 and December of 2013. Another six prisoners have reported being diagnosed with cancer at SCI Fayette, and a further eight report undiagnosed tumors and lumps. Unlike reports of health problems from prisoners at other Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC) prisons, most SCI Fayette prisoners discuss symptoms and illnesses that did not emerge until they arrived at SCI Fayette. The patterns of illnesses described in this report, coupled with the prison being geographically enveloped by a toxic coal waste site, point to a hidden health crisis impacting a captive and vulnerable population. Our investigation leads us to believe that the declining health of prisoners at SCI Fayette is indeed caused by the toxic environment surrounding the prison; however, the inherent limitations of the survey do not establish this belief at an empirical level. A substantial mobilization of resources for continued investigation will be required to confirm the relationship between prisoner health and pollution from coal refuse and ash. Details: Pittsburgh, PA: Abolitionist Law Center, 2015. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2015 at: https://abolitionistlawcenter.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/no-escape-3-3mb.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://abolitionistlawcenter.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/no-escape-3-3mb.pdf Shelf Number: 135829 Keywords: Health CareInmate HealthPrisoner HealthPrisonersToxic Waste |
Author: Magalini, Frederico Title: eWaste in Latin America: Statistical Analysis and Policy Recommendations Summary: The modern lifestyle of a growing number of people living on the planet increasingly relies on electric and electronic equipment (EEE). The use of modern information and communication technology (ICT) can contribute to achieving some of the Sustainable Development Goals and enable a transition to more efficient resource use, which can engender key societal benefits. In addition, increased demand for EEE is impacting consumption on a global level. In the case of some metals, such as cobalt and palladium, the mobile phone industry alone consumes more than 10 per cent of the annual global production. As a result of increased EEE production and use, the amount of discarded electronics (e-waste) is also growing worldwide, reaching more than 40,000 kilotonnes (kt) of electronic products discarded in 2014, nearly 4,000 kt of which occurred in Latin America (LATAM). For mobile phones in particular, nearly 189 kt have been discarded worldwide, of which nearly 17 kt occurred in LATAM. This means that worldwide, e-waste generated from mobile phones represents less than 0.5 per cent of the total weight of the world's e-waste, which is the same proportion for LATAM; ICT equipment, and mobile phones in particular, make up a relatively small segment of global e-waste. When looking at the expected growth rate, the average year-to-year growth of e-waste appears to be higher in LATAM compared to the global average. The amount of the region's e-waste is expected to increase to 4,800 kt in 2018. This is a growth of 70 per cent compared to 2009, whereas e-waste is projected to grow globally by only 55 per cent. Annual growth rate expected from now till 2018 will decline from 7 per cent in 2012 to 5 per cent in 2018 in Latin America. Four main elements need to be considered when analysing the challenges of e-waste management: E-waste often contains materials that are considered toxic, which are potentially harmful to environmental and human health. This may also impacts lives of children in many countries, as they could be exposed to e-waste-derived chemicals in their daily life due to unsafe recycling activities that are often conducted in the home, either by family members or the children themselves. Furthermore, children may be exposed through dumpsites located close to their homes, schools and play areas. In addition, evidence and studies are also showing the effects on fetuses that may already be exposed via their mothers. E-waste contains valuable and scarce materials, and recovery of these materials as secondary resources can alleviate some mining of virgin materials. In some cases, the costs of proper collection and recycling of e-waste may exceed the revenues generated from the recovered materials. This is primarily due to the complexity of product design and the difficulty of separating highly commingled materials. Extending equipment lifetime could be preferable from a life cycle perspective for some products. This could lower the ecological footprint through less production and also make products available for segments of the population that cannot afford brand new products. Only a few LATAM countries have specific bills on e-waste management in place. In the majority of cases, e-waste management is regulated under general hazardous waste legislation, and specific policy bills or technical guidelines are currently being discussed, going through the legislative process or being implemented. Basic waste management and recycling infrastructures exist, mainly linked to metal scrap processing, but individual and specific e-waste processing facility development is expected to grow in the coming years. In many countries, pre-processing facilities are still relying mainly on manual dismantling. End-processing or disposal options for some of the critical fractions that result from e-waste processing are missing, and thus the majority of fractions are either exported or processed with rudimentary techniques that result in low yield, or they are disposed of. From a strategic perspective, key principles should guide development of policies on e-waste and tackling mobile phone collection and treatment, in particular: Adequate and targeted awareness campaigns need to be created by public authorities, with support from manufacturers, service providers, retailers and municipalities to inform consumers about their fundamental role in the recycling chain; appliances kept at home even when not used are holding back natural resources from potential recycling processes, and improper disposal of e-waste (especially mobile phones) with unsorted municipal waster or other metal scrap may prevent the opportunity to properly recover critical materials forever. Securing reliable access to raw materials has become a critical challenge to ensure the production and supply of these products and functionalities for a growing number of people on the planet. One of the primary elements to ensure future access to key metals is to enable effectiveness through the recycling chain; products must not only be collected, but also recycled, keeping in mind the effectiveness of various processes, particularly for key metals. Separate collection of mobile phones is the first, fundamental step in the recycling chain. But societal benefits of e-waste (especially mobile phone) recycling can be achieved only if all e-waste collected is channelled to the best treatment options. Efficiency in the recovery process is particularly important for metals that are extensively used in modern electronics. The intrinsic economic potential and the environmental benefits of recycling can be achieved only when efficiency is maximised across all steps of the recycling chain. This report aims to identify the main challenges related to proper e-waste management, especially in the context of Latin America, with a particular focus on the opportunities linked to mobile phone collection and recycling. The unique challenges of mobile phone collection and recycling, from a societal perspective, are discussed in the report. Details: S.L.: GSMA and United Nations University, 2015. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 21, 2019 at: https://www.gsma.com/publicpolicy/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/GSMA2015_Report_eWasteInLatinAmerica_English.pdf Year: 2015 Country: South America URL: https://www.gsma.com/publicpolicy/resources/ewaste-latin-america-statistical-analysis-policy-recommendations Shelf Number: 155942 Keywords: Electronic Waste Environmental Crime Hazardous Waste Latin America Offenses Against the Environment Pollution Toxic Waste |