They said, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”. Well, that’s not always the case, when you’re keeping this evil a little too close to your baby than you realize.
The evil that put your kids in danger are nothing unfamiliar, it’s those spoiled old phones or power banks that are no longer of use, aka “E-Waste”.
As time goes by, these wastes hidden in your drawer keeps emitting dangerous chemicals to your family members. So, let’s get to know more about the damage it may bring…who knows, you might be unknowingly letting E-Wastes hurting your children all along?!
It was reported that 51 percent of the household sector sells their electronic waste for scrap, while another 25 percent chooses to keep the junk, and the rest just passes them on to someone else or throws them away in a general bin*.
Mobile phone is one of the said wastes, with its consumption rate increasing every year**, as shown in 2019, 18.2 billion mobile phones alone were sold in Thailand***. No surprise, the figure of E-Waste is on the rise likewise.
The more we use these electronic devices, the higher the number of Electronic Waste. The long forgotten, broken gadgets in the house are real-life monster under your children’s bed, quietly releasing poisonous chemicals that can harm you and your family.
Normally, a mobile phone is made of precious metals such as copper or gold, and a combination of hazardous substances and heavy metals that may cause serious health issue if received in excessive amounts****.
Degenerated electronics are particularly worse, as toxins are more likely to leak from those broken, corroded items, easily contaminating the air we inhale, surfaces we touch or food and water we consume*****.
It’s bad enough for us adults when in contact with these chemicals. You’ll never want to think about, if, your little ones get contaminated with lead, mercury, cadmium or other heavy metals, risking them a possible delay in brain development, physical disabilities or fatality. Even expectant mothers shouldn’t take this lightly, the baby can be exposed to such danger equally.
The President of Thailand Preventive Medicine Association, former Director-General of Thailand’s Department of Health, Pornthep Siriwanarangsan, MD, PhD, had mentioned about the health effect from lead that it can damage the nervous system, blood system, children’s brain development, or how cadmium ingestion can also cause kidney failure or severe pneumonia******.
All in all, holding on to E-Waste does more harm than good to anyone’s health. Bid them goodbye for the sake of your loved ones, and don’t forget to separate them for the right waste management control.
If you happen to own any of the following 5 items; mobile phones/ tablets, phone batteries, power banks, chargers and headphones, dispose them at one of over 1,800 collection spots provided by AIS nationwide, to undergo proper handling for the sustainability of our environment.
Check out AIS E-Waste disposal spots at http://ewastethailand.com
#คนไทยไร้EWaste #ThaissaynotoEWaste
Reference:
*Environment Department, Bangkok
**Thai PBS News
***Statista.com
**** Pollution Control Department
*****Pobpad.com
******Department of Health
