Discarded Electronics Equipment Can Contaminate Groundwater

By Jesse Keller

Published on August 01, 2005

The dangers of lead-contaminated groundwater can include nervous system and kidney damage. Elevated lead levels can also hamper brain development in children.

The average computer monitor or television set contains roughly four pounds of lead as a means of protecting users from radiation. When monitors and other lead-containing electronics are discarded in unlined landfills, this lead can leach off into the area's groundwater. For this reason, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made a priority of making sure that electronics are properly disposed of.

According to the EPA, electronic devices make up 1 to 4 percent of all trash going into American landfills, making it the fastest-growing category of refuse. As anyone who has purchased a computer knows, old technology becomes obsolete and undesirable with increasing rapidity; in 1992, personal computers were kept for an average of 4.5 years. The average now is less than half that.

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