A TV crew from CBS News’ “60 Minutes” was jumped at while filming a report on the illegal dumping of toxic electronic waste in the Guiyo region of southern China. Scott Pelley, CBS correspondent was with the crew when the attack took place. Apparently, the thugs who waylaided the group were attempting to confiscate their camera to prevent them from filming the the plight of this region, which Pelley described to be “one of the most toxic places on earth.”
We have reported (”Recycling Facts“)on the untenable situation in this part of China where tons and tons of e-waste are shipped to illegally from developed countries like the US, and broken down for parts and material in makeshift and primitive facilities, often by women and children. As it happened, Pelley and his crew were following a shipment of old CRT monitors from a recycling yard in Denver to the port of Tacoma in Washington, and across the Pacific to Guiyo, in China.
It was the Basel Action Network, an organization working to ban export of e-waste and other hazardous materials from first world countries like the US to the developing countries. These e-waste are incredibly dangerous because of the high level of toxic metals that they contain. An old picture tube or computer monitor can contain as much as 5-7 lbs. of lead. The Guiyo region in China where these toxic devices are shipped to is now a veritable wasteland, its soil and water poisoned, its people struggling on daily, every single one of them suffering from dangerous levels of lead and other substances in their organs and bloodstream.
Read the full story at CBS News .
Watch PC World’s short video documentary about “The Dangers of E-Waste”
Find a recycler for your old computer now:
“Not every electronics recycler is a responsible recycler. That’s why America’s landfills contain millions of tons of e-waste, and why over 50 percent of the electronics collected in the United States for recycling is shipped overseas. GreenCitizen partners only with recyclers of the highest standards, who comply with the best practices in the industry today.”
Find out where you can donate or recycle your old computer and electronics at EPA’s eCycling page.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Andrea // Nov 12, 2008 at 10:05 am
that is such terrible thing they are doing to the environment… the bad things some ‘people’ do in china, not to mention the not so recent earthquake tragedy killing lots of people, partly because of substandard materials used for their buildings…
2 free online radio // Nov 23, 2008 at 1:15 am
with the rapid change of technology people tend to switch from old to new technology due to which world is generating lots of e-waste . best example is mobile phone each day a new mobile phone is launched and people rush to buy a new one. better solution what i think for e-waste old laptops , mobile phone , ipod, pc, etc. should be donate to poor country student rather than throw
3 Kaizen // Nov 24, 2008 at 1:35 am
Im from Poland and this article show me how like in other countres. I agree in post Andrea.
Leave a Comment