E-Waste

Ecological Disasters

by David M. Barker

Humanity's impact on the natural world can have disastrous effects. E-Wasteshines a light on the ever-growing amount of e-waste and the lack of resources to safely recycle it. With abundant charts and diagrams and large-format photos, this title explores the science behind damages to human and environmental health, and considers actions people and governments can take to try to improve the situation. Features include a flow chart showing the disaster's causes and effects, a glossary, references, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

112 pages, Library Binding

Published September 1, 2017

Reviews

[Karen Gedeon · Rating 2 out of 5]

E-Waste by David M. Barker – While the entire book does discuss e-waste, it is mostly focused on the processing of the materials in what’s referred to as “informal recycling” operations. Because there have been few studies conducted in the area of informal recycling, the bulk of the book references the area in Southern China called Guiya. Guiya is an area of approximately 28 small villages which through 2015 informally recycled hazardous electronic materials. While chapters such as “Recycling Policies” and “E-Waste Recycling Technology” are included they feel more like an afterthought as the book’s main focus remains on environmental pollution and health effects. The book fully describes the side effects of improperly handling the materials, how the waste is separated, scrapped and resold as well as what regulations are in place throughout the world. Full color photos or diagrams are included on each two page spread along with a sprinkling of science connections and definitions. The table of contents, index, notes, glossary, cause & effect along with additional information make this a nice resource for a report or personal learning.

[Am Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good coverage and quite informative, with several examples of where & how the problem of informal e-waste recycling has resulted in negative environmental and health effects (e.g. Guiyu & Taizhou in China, certain parts of India, and so on). The toxins generated from e-waste breakdown are listed (e.g. PCBs, PAHs, flame retardants, dibenzofurans, to name a few), and their harmful effects on humans and animals discussed.

We also learn what the individual components of e-waste are (e.g. heavy metals, rare earth elements, plastic, etc), what percentage of them can be found in certain electronic devices, and how they are usually dealt with, from their removal from the device they were originally part of, to how they are broken down and used again.

The chapter on legislation mentions some of the policies that have been put in place to solve the problem of e-waste pollution and how effective they are.

A good book in terms of content and research, but far too repetitive in wording. I found myself reading the same thing over and over again each chapter. Could've been much more concise and less lengthy.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

David Barker, you lost ALL credibility on pg 55 when you proved that you would stick in a picture of GOATS eating dumped fruit and try to pass it off as sickly COWS dining in a toxic waste dump!