Dangers of Electronic Waste

E-waste or electronic waste is disposal of electronics. Discarded electronics contain hazardous materials. If disposed improperly, they pose a potential threat to human health and the environment. E-Waste accounts for 40 percent of the lead and 75 percent of the heavy metals found in landfills. Although safe when used, once electronics are discarded in a landfill, the acidic conditions provide an environment in which lead and other heavy metals may leak out. If the landfill's liner fails, the groundwater supply may become contaminated E waste is generally hazardous if not disposed in a proper way. Mercury found in fluorescent tubes, tilt switches and flat screen televisions and computers causes many health related problems like sensory impairment and muscle weakness. Sulphur found in batteries causes liver damage, kidney damage and heart damage.  Americium found in smoke alarms is radioactive and dangerous. Cadmium found in nickel batteries if not disposed properly can leach into soil, harming microorganisms and disrupting the soil ecosystem. Beryllium oxide found in CPU’s and power transistors is very dangerous and radioactive.

If a person is exposed to some chemical found in electronics, his DNA could break up which may increase the likelihood of developing cancer.  These hazards arise due to the improper recycling and disposal processes used. It can have serious repercussions for those in proximity to places where e-waste is recycled or burnt. Waste from the white and brown goods is less toxic as compared with grey goods. A computer contains highly toxic chemicals like lead, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, BFR, polyvinyl chloride and phosphor compounds. E waste should be recycled properly using proper steps and procedures otherwise they may prove hazardous.

Advantages of Meat Taxation

Paying compulsory taxes on the income you earned and for other services to contribute to the revenue of the Government has become a general practice, at the same time adding taxes and duties on certain products like cigarettes, alcohol and other products which are harmful for human consumption and which the Government doesn’t want people to use has been a great tactic.  But the recent proposal to introduce tax on meat to the above list with the intention of reducing the consumption of meat by the common man and to reduce the high costs associated with the consumption of meat will definitely be hard on the Americans, as they are the highest consumers of meat.

As per statistics every American on an average consumes 44kg of meat per year compared to Indians who consume 5kg of meat per person.  The number of pigs, cows and lambs has grown 10 folds; farming for livestock covers 1/3^rd of the land in the world, which could have been used to grow crops to feed the malnourished people.  With the growing consumption of meat, the prices of staple food also have seen a steep rise, and this is also the main reason for obesity among Americans.  Results also show that compared to vegetarians, non vegetarians showed a greater tendency in facing the risk of obesity, which clearly shows that meat consumption is directly linked to obesity.  Studies have also revealed that due to the high amount of antibiotics used on animals there is a danger of widespread infectious diseases like Tuberculosis, smallpox, measles and even the recent highly prevailing Swine flu which killed so many people.

 

The increase in production of meat also has a negative impact on the environment in the form of effluents released by the livestock and also as a major part of the green house gases emitted is by the livestock as a result of which we face a high risk of global warming.  Also when compared to consumption of water, the water required for growing crops such as wheat and rice is very less when compared to water consumption by livestock, due to which we may face a severe scarcity of water. The increase in meat production is also the reason for the gradual declination in the number of fishes being killed to produce fish oil and dry feed every year so that they can be fed to chicken and pigs.

With America being the highest consumer of meat, the proposal to introduce tax on meat maybe seen as a move to discourage the usage of meat by the Government, and might deter people from the lower income groups in buying meat, but it certainly will be not be a restriction for meat lovers, who are bound to consume meat despite the taxation on meat.  But taking into consideration all the benefits of abstaining from meat consumption, like good health, decreased risk to diseases, better environment, decrease in obesity and many more, this proposal should be definitely finalized as introducing taxes on meat would at least temporarily reduce the consumption of meat, and people would think twice while purchasing meat.  Studies also reveal that by taxing meat, the average consumption per person in a year would definitely fall even though we cannot expect a total fall in meat consumption, which would help in curtailing the rising prices of staple food and encourage the cultivation of crops.  We will definitely help in having a better environment which will have a positive impact on the planet by reducing the consumption of meat.