Forget playlists and think potential pollution.
iPods, cell phones and other electronic products often contain toxic materials, a growing environmental threat as Americans throw away roughly two million electronic products each year. According to Reuters, California Assembly Member Lori Saldana from San Diego has introduced a bill that would require manufacturers to stop using hazardous substances in electronic devices sold in California within two years.
It's not exactly a new idea. Three years ago, UMR's own Venkata Allada was talking about the idea of industrial ecology with Visions and sharing how companies should design products that can be easily disassembled for reuse, recycling or servicing once they reach “end-of-life usefulness."
The idea seems to be catching on. Starting this July, the European Union’s Restriction on Hazardous Substances Directive will make “lead free" a requirement for EU member countries and for those wanting to sell electrical and electronic equipment in the EU.
According to a 2000 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, only about 9 percent of discarded electronic material is recycled or reclaimed for reuse in manufacturing; the rest contributes to the lead, cadmium and mercury contamination in the nation’s soils.
Here's another concern on the horizon: by Jan. 1, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission will require all two-way radios used in public safety (police, fire, etc.) to make the switch from broadband to narrowband. This will render a lot of current handy-talkies obsolete in a few years. What will happen to them? Perhaps that's another opportunity for Dr. Allada to look into.
Andrew Careaga