Nigeria does not have a formal recycling sector for safe management of e-waste, every month about 500,000 tons of electronic and electrical equipment is dumped in workshops, open spaces, water sources and landfills. More than half of this is near end of life or completely damaged. When rain falls on informal waste dumps, polluted liquids leach out. These liquids contain toxic chemicals and metals, bacteria and viruses. They find their way into the ground and surface water, and can be taken up by plants and end up in animals and people. Even though these e-waste dump sites are a health hazard, many people make their living on them. According to the International Labour Organisation, up to 100,000 people work in the informal e-waste recycling sector in Nigeria. They collect and dismantle electronics by hand to reclaim components that can then be sold. These people are at risk of infection and physical injury from handling waste. In one study, researchers collected blood samples and cheek cell samples from teenagers who were sorting through waste at the Alaba international electronic market. We found their blood contained much higher levels of heavy metals than a control group.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
More Stories
Launching a Local Lesotho Airline within the Next Year
Providing Support and Acceleration to Women-owned African Tech Startups
Journos Fight For their Voices to Be Heard
Containing a Measles Outbreak in Harare
African Leaders are Increasingly Aspiring to “Modernise” their Cities
UK to Cut Taxes on Imports from Africa
20 African Countries with the Highest Net Migration Rates
Kenyan Woman’s Campaign to Treat Sickle Cell
The Plight of South African Miners Continues
Odinga Won’t Accept Election Result
Mobile “Play-to-earn” App Enables Gamers of Every Level to Earn Cash in every Match they Play
A Device Designed to Make Computing and Computers Accessible to all Africans