Garry Cardinal

Welcome to my Electronics, Environmental Protection, Human Health Page.

Electronics:

Environmental Protection:

Human Health:

Why are Electronics, Environmental Protection, and Human Health linked to the same page?

I graduated from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1974 and served as an Electronics Technologist for thirty seven years before retiring. During the summer of 2002 I began an investigation into the recycling of electronic devices. Since that time my ideas about what is safe to recyle have been tipped upside down.

As my investigation progressed, a story unfolded of compounds that were created to serve a beneficial purpose, however, the molecular structure that make these compounds particularly effective, long lasting and inexpensive contribute to properties that are insidious and dangerous. They are proving to be harmful to animals: amphibians; fish; reptiles; birds; mammals; and humans. They are showing up in unexpected places in concentrations that are rising exponentially. They are also turning out to be very difficult to get rid of.

Dangerous Compounds:

Dangerous things are all around us. When it comes to dangerous compounds the truly scary ones are not being talked about nearly enough. Strong acid will burn and hurt like heck until it destroys nerve tissue and goes on to continue eating the underlying flesh. Similar caustic consumer chemicals are fitted with warning labels and if the warnings are heeded, consumers should be reasonably safe. The problem is that some chemical compounds can sneak up on us. DDT, PCB and other chemicals were considered "safe" when introduced but, eventually turned out to be very bad. Both DDT and PCB are now classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants and, recently, so is the cluster of compounds called PBDE.

DDT 'Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane' DDT is an active broad spectrum pesticide that was used heavily during and after the second world war. Later, DDT was used extensively on cultivated crops and domestic livestock. The increase in cases of poliomyelitis was coincident with the increasing domestic use of DDT. DDT was traced to be the reason for the declining numbers many species of birds, particulary birds of prey. After it was banned in North America, birds of prey made a comeback. The explanation goes like this: Birds of prey are at the top of a food chain. The DDT was ingested by insects, insects are ingested by insect eating animals, those animals were eventually ingested by birds of prey and the concentrations of DDT skyrocketed in these species to the point that their eggs were not viable because they were sterile or deformed. By this reasoning, humans were thought to be at risk and DDT was banned. DDT is a Persistent Organic Pollutant.

PCB 'Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl' is a liquid compound that was used to fill power transformers instead of mineral oil. Power transformers are high energy devices that are filled with liquid to thermally conduct the heat from the electric windings and magnetic cores inside the transformer to the thermal reservoir made by the mass of the transformer inside its housing. The technical term for this technique is called 'heat sinking'. PCB is now recognized as highly carcinogenic and an endoctrine disruptor. PCB is a Persistent Organic Pollutant.

PBDE 'Poly Brominated Diphenyl Ether' is the group name of a cluster of Flame Retardant Compounds used in the electronics, furniture and textile industries. In the electronics industry it is added to the plastic of electronic housings, the epoxy of circuit boards, the insulating materials of electronic components and the insulation of electric cables and wires. PBDE is now recognized as a Persistent Organic Pollutant and is in the process of being banned in Europe where PBDE is also recognized as an endocrine disruptor. North America is held under the influence of corporate interests on this subject and the general population has been kept ignorant about the harmful aspects of PBDE. The Swedish National Chemicals Protectorate report 15 March 1999: Phase-Out of PBDEs. The European Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS 1) took effect on 1 July 2006. The engineering and production enhancements required of manufacturers of European goods ended up resulting in global compliance. Thank you Europe. Of course, North Amercan consumers are left ignorant of these proceedings.

Minimizing Exposure to PBDE:

AIR CONTAMINATION: PBDE leaches out of electronic devices into the air. This process accelerates as the devices reach operating temperature. The safest way to keep an electronic device is unplugged and in a sealed polyethylene bag. Doing this would probably nullify the purpose of the device so the next best thing is to minimize operating time and provide plenty of air to minimize PBDE concentration levels. Many newer electronic devices consume less power and have decreased operating temperatures compared to older counterparts. For example, a 15" LCD monitor will consume less than a third the energy of the 17" CRT it replaces. New electronic devices (pre 01 July 2006) will initially emit a lot of PBDE, but the emission concentration will eventually drop after a while. After 01 July 2006 new electronic devices worldwide are generally ROHS compliant.

CLEANING AIR: High Efficiency Particulate Air filters can reduce the airborne concentration of very small particles. An air cleaner that has activated carbon filters will help reduce airborne chemical concentrations including PBDE. Activated carbon filters must be changed regularly to maintain effectiveness.

CLEANING ELECTRONIC DEVICES: PBDE will migrate from the electronics to the dust inside electronic devices. When cleaning say, a computer, don't just blow the dust out with compressed air because the dust is loaded with PBDE and you may breathe in the contaminated dust. It would be better to use a vacuum cleaner to collect the dust. Electronics professionals use special vacuum cleaners for cleaning laser printers, the filters in these cleaners are High Efficiency Particulate Air type, toner particles are small enough to go right through ordinary vacuum cleaner filters. HEPPA filters can trap toner but not PBDE, hence the requirement of activated carbon for ambient air filtration.

PURCHASING: Be careful what you buy. Heating appliances with plastic cases contain a high concentration of Flame Retardant Chemicals like PBDE. When these devices run, they emit a lot of the chemical. Avoid buying heating appliances with plastic cases, look for metal cases instead. Also look for devices certified by the European organization TCO.

DISPOSAL: Electronic devices should not be placed in landfills because the Persistant Organic Pollutants inside them can leach out and contaminate groundwater. There is currently no method to contain or isolate PBDE from the plastic housings, circuit boards or wire insulation of post consumer electronic or electrical devices. When PBDE has leached into the air or the groundwater there is no method of collection or cleanup except by absorption in the lymphatic systems and fatty tissues of living organisms.