Computer, Electronic Games and Battery Operated Toys

Batteries from electronic games and toys pose disposal problems. Almost all batteries from toys end up in landfill where they may leach mercury, cadmium and lead into the waterways. To lessen battery waste, choose rechargeable batteries that recharge through a solar charger. Many rechargeable batteries contain cadmium and so must be recycled when they reach their lifespan.

A health risk of concern for our children is the effect of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure. EMF's invisible forcefield is emitted from mobile phones, computers, televisions, and other electronic devices. The health effects from EMFs range from headaches to sleep disruption to cancer and children may be especially vulnerable because their brains and skulls are still developing.Computers and computer games are very popular and there are few homes without at least one or two. The lifecycle of these products leads to polluted drinking water, waste discharges that harm aquatic and wildlife, high rates of miscarriages, birth defects and cancer clusters among workers. Electronic products can be made of over 1,000 different chemicals and metals, many of which are toxic. For example, plastic computer casings are likely to be treated with brominated fire retardants; circuit boards can contain cadmium; switches may contain mercury; lead oxide and barium in monitors cathode ray tubes, and computer screens typically contain between two and four kilos of lead. These chemicals may not pose a direct threat to users but they pose a direct threat to factory workers and the surrounding communities if discharged into the air or groundwater. Disposal of computers and computer games represents a huge problem. There are few other products for which the sum of the environmental impacts of raw material extraction, industrial refining and production, use and disposal is so extensive.