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"Hazardous e-waste is piling India"

"NITDA goes tough on hardware vendors over hazardous e-devices"

"Hazards of electronic waste disposal cited"

"Officials turn a blind eye to hi-tech hazard?"

"State to e-track hazardous waste"

CEH report, Oct. 2006. In the past few years, the storm of complaints about UNICOR's recycling program from prisoners, prison guards, and others has brought these hidden sweatshops into public view. Since 1994, UNICOR has built a lucrative business that employs prisoners to recycle electronic waste (e-waste). A massive array of ewaste is largely hidden from view, as are the workers who handle the waste. Over 100,000 computers become obsolete in the U.S. every day. E-waste includes computers, personal digital assistants, TVs, and other electronic devices. E-waste is a doubleedged sword: it is rich in precious materials that can be recycled, but it also contains a cocktail of hazardous chemicals such as lead, mercury, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and cadmium. This report examines the e-waste recycling programs run by Federal Prison Industries (FPI), a government-owned corporation that does business under the trade name UNICOR.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., have introduced legislation that would promote research and development of programs to improve the recycling of electronic equipment. The Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act would provide research grants to find ways to deal with electronic waste, much of which contains hazardous materials including lead and cadmium.

"E-waste Report: Determination of Regulated Elements in Seven Types of Discarded Consumer Electronic Products"; January 2004; Hazardous Material Laboratory, California Dept. of Toxic Substances Control;

Image summarizing hazardous materials found in computers; Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition via WRPPN

"My Town "

"New "Liquid Magnet" Solder Could Be Lead-Free Alternative For Electronics"

"I? F"

"E-waste exports to be focus of BBC show "