1. Interesting facts about cell phones
September 2006= 2.5 billion cell phone users, from 2 billion 2005
Currently = over 3.5 billion
Average user replaces her cell phone every 18 months.
More than 36 percent of all 11- to 14-year-olds own their own cell phone
More than 15 percent own a hand-held internet device

2. Cell Phones Instructions:
Goal: consider the sustainability of an everyday item that you use
Maths Skills: percents, conversions, number sense
Sustainability connection: risk-benefit analysis
Instructions:
Use the chart on the worksheet to answer questions #1-3.
2. If you finish those, go onto the rest!

3. Cell Phones
If everybody recycled his or her cell phone, over 200 million euros would be recouped in gold!

4. Click To Type Slide Title
Doucette, Gopal Dayaneni and John. System Error. San Jose, CA: Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, 2005.
Click To Type Slide Title

5. What’s In Your Phone? Cadmium Lead Mercury Accumulates in kidneys
Causes brain damage
Mercury
Heavy Metal
Lessens brain function in children and causes damage to central nervous system, builds up in kidneys

6. Brominated Flame Retardants
What’s In Your Phone?
Damages DNA & linked to asthmatic bronchitis
Hexavalent Chromium
Brominated Flame Retardants
Causes multi-organ system failure that can lead to death
Arsenic
Chemical
Heavy Metal
May be an endocrine disrupter & may increase risk for cancer of digestive & lymph systems

7. Open burning & heating allows toxins into respiratory system
Acid treatment
allows heavy
metals to
infiltrate
soil and water
Source Credit: Ravi Agarwal at Toxics Link

8. Recent study by Greenpeace in Ghana found most workers are
Children mostly
between the
ages of
Source Credit: Ravi Agarwal at Toxics Link
Picture Credit: arch1design.com

9. Considering the 3 “E”s, is cell phone recycling worth it?
Environment
Economics
Social Equity 1 2 3
Considering the 3 “E”s, is cell phone recycling worth it?
*you will be asked to share your answers with the group!