E-waste recycling in India has caused soil contamination from the high levels of heavy metals being openly discharged, as well as concerning levels of mercury in the water, according to a new report from the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN).

According to IPEN, an entirely new economic sector has been evolving around trading, repairing and recovering materials from redundant electronic devices.

The report, Impact of E-Waste Recycling on Water and Soil, found that while this sector is a source of livelihood for the urban and rural poor, it is often one of the major contributing factors for severe risks to human health and the local environment.

These informal recyclers were said to be continuing to use rudimentary processes and practices such as open burning, acid baths and heating of circuit boards, resulting in emissions and release of toxic elements into the environment.

IPEN said that currently there is very little or negligible data generated from such recycling sites in India to understand the relationship between such activities and its impacts on the environment and human health.

As such, the organisation said that its study was an effort to develop a correlation between such recycling activities undertaken by the informal sector and its impact on its surroundings and environmental mediums such as soil and water.

In conducting the study, IPEN made quantitative assessments of selected pollutants and chemicals in water and soil at two prominent e-waste recycling sites, Loni and Mandoli, in and around Delhi.

Findings

The report clearly indicated changes in soil quality in the recycling areas and this change is attributable to the recycling activities being conducted in these areas.

The water quality at both sites was also found to demonstrate some impacts of pollution, but IPEN said that this requires further investigation.

The authors added that the study could not assess health impacts on the population engaged in recycling activities or living in the neighbourhood, but this needs to be investigated.

Conclusions

In its conclusions, the report noted that e-waste is globally associated with environmental contamination and serious health issues due to its chemical constituents. In has attempting to establish a relationship between the informal recycling activities and its impacts, the final findings of the study suggested the following:

• The areas of Loni and Mandoli, both on the outskirts of Delhi, support extensive e-waste recycling
• Both sites discharge their effluents into open lands in the absence of drains
• They also dispose of their solid waste in open lands, while most residual matter is disposed by open burning
• The effluents discharged at Mandoli are acidic, with very low pH values and high levels of heavy metals. The levels of heavy metals and other physical parameters are much beyond the accepted limits for effl uents as provided by Indian standards
• These effluents, heavy in pollutants, are being directly discharged into soil, thus impacting the soil
• The water quality at Loni is better as compared to Mandoli. There is a wide variation in the levels of zinc and nickel, though within the standards for drinking water, suggesting change in water quality at various locations. High mercury levels in one of the samples are a reason for concern. This result throws up serious questions on the use of this water for drinking purposes and the need for further intensive studies
• Soil results at both sites confi rm changes in soil parameters as compared to the respective control samples and also if compared to standards from other countries. The levels of heavy metals in soil are much higher in the Mandoli area as compared to Loni. Some of the metals found in the soil are the input materials or residues discharged into soil .There is clear evidence of changes in soil characteristics at both recycling sites and this directly relates to the activities and input materials of the waste recycling sector.

The full report can be downloaded HERE