Health Care Without Harm & The Computer Take Back Campaign Environmentally Preferable Practices for Electronics: Procurement to End-of-Life Health Care Without Harm & The Computer Take Back Campaign Catholic Healthcare Association Teleconference Training September 8, 2004 Mamta Khanna

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting public health from exposures to toxic chemicals. Health Care Without Harm’s (HCWH) mission is to transform the health care industry worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment. The goal of the Computer Take Back Campaign (CTBC) is to protect the health and well being of electronics users, workers, and the communities where electronics are produced and discarded.

CEH, HCWH & CTBC With a wide range of constituents Committed to environmental and social justice Promote the phase out of Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxicants (Mercury, Dioxins, Brominated Flame Retardants) and other hazardous chemicals Minimize the amount and toxicity of all waste generated Promote the use of safer materials and practices

Electronics in Healthcare Healthcare depends on electronic products greatly for products as diverse as: IT, medical diagnostic electronic equipment (EKG monitors), consumer electronic products (TVs, cell phones, etc) and more… Short life spans of products

In Silicon Valley, the birthplace of high tech, What’s the problem? High Tech Impact on the Environment In Silicon Valley, the birthplace of high tech, 24 of the 29 sites listed on the National Priorities List (Superfund Sites) for clean up of contaminated soil and water were caused by high-tech companies. “Printed circuit boards contain heavy metals such as antimony, silver, chromium, zinc, lead, tin and copper. According to some estimates, there is hardly any other product for which the sum of the environmental impacts of raw material, extraction, industrial, refining and production, use and disposal is so extensive as for printed circuit boards.” -CARE conference, Vienna 1994

Materials of Concern in Manufacturing of Electronics Products Some examples… chlorinated plastics in cable wiring brominated flame retardants in PCBs heavy metals (lead and cadmium) in CRTs mercury in Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or flat panel monitors. More information: http://www.svtc.org/cleancc/focus.htm

High Tech Impact on Health Materials found in electronic products are recognized to be: teratogenic = linked to birth defects persistent = not easily excreted from the body bioaccumulative = magnifies up the food chain carcinogenic = cancer causing reproductive toxin = linked to birth defects endocrine disruptor = disrupts the hormonal system mutagenic = causes mutations in cells Courtesy CAFOD² 2: http://www.cafod.org.uk/

Worker Safety Patient Safety Community Health Product Lifecycle DISPOSAL Landfill and incineration: illegal Recycling facilities not regulated Evidence of BFRs in e-waste recycling workers Use of prison labor Export of hazardous materials to developing nations MANUFACTURE Toxic chemical use: mercury, lead, chromium, cadmium, brominated flame retardants and PVC: priority list. Occupational health exposures to hazardous chemicals Intense resource use USE Increased understanding of consumer exposures to Brominated Flame Retardants. Worker Safety Patient Safety Community Health

Health Impacts X Volume 300 Million Obsolete Computers by 2004 Plastic             4 billion lbs. Lead        1 billion lbs. Cadmium    2 million lbs. Chromium 1.2 million lbs. Mercury 400,000 lbs.

Domestic Landfilling: Health Impacts Case Study of Mercury and Exposure During Disposal Lighting in flat panel displays is a source of mercury.  Mercury is a well-documented neurotoxin.  Mercury contamination occurs during the transfer, landfilling, and incineration of solid waste Mercury emissions found at landfills (working face and in gas extraction systems). Landfills convert part of the mercury in products from the metallic form to the more toxic methyl form and the highly toxic dimethyl form and are a major source of these emissions Mercury from landfills can re-enter the environment when the leachate is treated either on-site or at wastewater treatment plants Mercury is only one of several toxins used in the manufacture of electronic products. For more information: http://www.newmoa.org/NEWMOA/htdocs/prevention/mercury/landfillfactsheet.cfm

Health and Environmental Impacts of Improper Disposal Domestic Recycling Findings in Recycling Workers The levels of BFRs found at electronics dismantling plants were several orders of magnitude higher than in other environments Recycling workers are being highly exposed to PBDE and TBBPA (mainly used in printed circuit boards)

Prison Labor: Unfair practices Disassembly of electronic products is dangerous to the health of prisoners Racial minorities and low-income individuals comprise about 70 percent of all federal prisoners (African Americans and Latino) Do not receive full protections, rights and remedies Undercuts commercial high-end recycling Prison Reform and Advocacy Center: www.prisonreform.com/usprison_main.shtml and Prison Activist Resource Center: www.prisonactivist.org USEPA Civil Rights Environmental Justice Order 12898 http://www.epa.gov/civilrights/eo12898.htm

Exporting Harm: International Dumping of E-Waste Increasing evidence of e-waste dumping in the guise of recycling. Developing countries and communities impacted by: Lower wages Weaker environmental laws Weak infrastructure to handle Environmental exposures to highly toxic chemicals December 2001. Copyright Basel Action Network.

Exporting Harm (2) “Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia” http://www.ban.org/E-waste/technotrashfinalcomp.pdf by Basel Action Network, 2002. “E-waste in Chennai: Time is running out” http://www.toxicslink.org/docs/06033_reptchen.pdf (2004) and “Scrapping the Hi-tech Myth: Computer Waste in India” http://www.toxicslink.org/docs/06037_Hi_Tech_Myth.pdf (2003), both reports by Toxics Link, India. Guiyu, China: Woman about to smash a cathode ray tube from a computer monitor in order to remove copper. December 2001. Photographs Copyright Basel Action Network.

Early Warnings of User Exposures to BFRs Some studies have also shown exposures to computer technicians and office workers Analysis and toxicology of BFRs with emphasis on PBDEs, by Pettersson and Karlsson, Orebro University, Sweden Brominated Flame Retardants in Dust on Computers: http://www.computertakeback.com/the_problem/bfr.cfm

Why Healthcare should Care? Hippocratic oath “First Do No Harm” Proactively protect public health Leadership in community Concern with environmental compliance (e-waste is hazardous waste) Concern with privacy protection (HIPAA) Huge dependence on electronics in medical diagnostics and IT Largely centralized procurement Large turn-over of equipment: $$ to buy, store, dispose Effective “asset disposition” can save money and resources High $$ amount of purchase = Manufacturers will listen

Total Cost of Ownership: A New Lens for Electronic Waste Management PURCHASE PRICE + COST OF STORING, TRANSPORTING AND DISPOSING AS HAZARDOUS WASTE + RISK/LIABILITY ASSESSMENT Do your homework before contract negotiation

Environmentally Preferable Procurement of IT Equipment: Basic Principles End-of-Life Management Upgradeability Design for the Environment and Public Health Manufacturing Energy Efficiency

Basic Principles of EPP for IT END OF LIFE MANAGEMENT: Manufacturers provide or ensure the following: A) Take-back and management services Why Take-Backs? - Ensure that manufacturers help alleviate disposal costs - Encourage design of less toxic alternative products - Innovation! B) Info-labels with take-back information C) Recycling vendors sign Electronic Recycler’s Pledge of Stewardship: Pledge to meet strict standards for managing e-waste http://www.ban.org/pledge1.html D) Certification that hazardous waste is not exported to developing countries E) Documentation on processes for end-of-life management F) Certification & documentation of recycling practices

Basic Principles for EPP (Cont…) 1) END OF LIFE MANAGEMENT (CONTD.): G) Protections for recycling workers from hazardous exposures. - Enable workers to take actions to protect their own health. This excludes prison workers. H) Recycling or reuse of old equipment -Minimum, demonstrate (by posting to company website) that more than half of old equipment will be recycled or reused by 2006¹ 1: As per the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive passed by the EU Jan 03 www.informinc.org has good information.

Basic Principles for EPP (Cont…) 2) UPGRADEABILITY: Manufacturers provide guarantees and options to upgrade product: Memory, speed, capacity of machines, ability to expand networks and equipment use without replacing existing equipment. Why? Extends life of equipment Holds down costs over time Conserves resources used in manufacture and disposal

Basic Principles for EPP (Cont…) 3) DESIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT & PUBLIC HEALTH Manufacturers to A) Disclose toxic materials contained in the product on the company website i) Right to know of consumer to make informed choices ii) Gives opportunity for companies to compete positively Yesterday HP, today Dell, tomorrow Sony? B) Demonstrate plans and timelines to eliminate or minimize toxic and hazardous constituents C) Eliminate the following Priority list: i) Lead ii) Cadmium iii) Mercury iv) Hexavalent Chromium v) Brominated Flame Retardants vi) Chlorinated Plastics WHY? Most toxic, persist in the environment and our bodies and accumulate up the food chain

Basic Principles for EPP (Cont…) 3) DESIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT & PUBLIC HEALTH (CONT…) Closing the loop: Design and manufacture have an impact on end-of-life disposal options: - Costs to society - Environmental (our air, water and soil) - Public health (increased cancers, reproductive harm)

Basic Principles for EPP (Cont…) 4) MANUFACTURING Our goal: Protect occupational health and safety (OHS) of employees in manufacturing Manufacturers to provide documentation: i) Corporate policy on OHS ii) Results of routine industrial monitoring iii) Results of medical monitoring of employees globally (while protecting privacy) iv) Occupational Safety & Health Administration Injury report Log 300

Basic Principles for EPP (Cont…) 5) ENERGY EFFICIENCY Manufacturers to meet Energy Star requirements

Disposal: End of Life Management Reduce Reuse Recycle No Landfills No Incineration

Choosing An Electronics Recycler Asking the right questions from your recycler: Have they signed the Electronic Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship¹? What do they do to recycle? Reuse? Do they provide proof/ documentation? Can they help with logistics of transportation/storage? Do they offer data destruction? Methods? Proof/Documentation? Labor source? Regulatory compliance? Sound, ethical business practices? Involve local businesses, non-profits Set criteria that meet your goals. ¹For more information: http://www.ban.org/pledge1.html Handout on choosing a recycler. International Association of Electronics Recyclers Electronics Recyclers Pledge of True Stewardship: The World's Most Rigorous Environmental and Social Justice Criteria for Recycling E-waste As with many businesses, a recycler can be fraudulent (“sham recycling”), and can abuse your expectations and needs.

Is it waste or not: Doing the Analysis Working or non-working? Do not put in trash: Regulated as hazardous waste. ILLEGAL If working… If not working… Responsible recycler or broker (who has signed Pledge of Stewardship) to take equipment to resell or refurbish. Donate for reuse Diagnose and repair Donate to non-profit that has capacity for refurbishing Ensure pieces and parts from refurbishing or repair are accounted for. Regulated as hazardous waste. Placing in trash is ILLEGAL Potential CERCLA liability

Storage and Security Issues of E-waste Resale & recycle value of stored equipment depreciates 6-10%/month. 3-year old equipment has > value Data sanitization should be done upon retirement, before storage or surplus. Total destruction for data security wastes equipment with value. Not enough to delete hard drives, Department of Defense standards for Data Destruction More info: [http://www.hipaa.org/ or http://www.hipaadvisory.com/tech/disksan.htm]

Health Care Without Harm http://www.noharm.org/electronics/issue Computer Take-Back Campaign www.computertakeback.com

Mamta Khanna 510-594-9864 mamta@cehca.org www.cehca.org Thank you! Mamta Khanna 510-594-9864 mamta@cehca.org www.cehca.org