Electronic devices and technology continue to advance and increase in number all over the world. They're critical to our way of life, and to our ever-growing economy. Unfortunately, these technologies come at a devastating price. The challenges we face are the increasing threats to human and animal life alike. Protecting human health and the environment from the potentially harmful effects associated with improper handling and disposal has now become dire.

The raw, precious metals, minerals, and elements used to create our electronics also have a darker side. Valuable materials such as copper and gold, are at risk of exposure to over thousands of harmful substances, like lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, brominated flame retardants, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons just to name a few. People who work mining these materials or near locations where they process these materials are at high risk for serious health impacts like respiratory problems, reduced thyroid function, inflammation, DNA damage, and an increased risk of chronic diseases later in life like cancers and cardiovascular disease. Not good stuff. 

On top of this workers involved in the manufacturing process can be exposed to over a thousand chemicals also. 

A complex combination of toxic and volatile materials including chlorinated and brominated substances, photoactive chemicals, poisonous gases, acids, solvents, heavy metals, plastics, and plastic additives, have devastating impacts on the environment and workers' health. Many of those compounds are linked to increased rates of cancer, reproductive damage, congenital disabilities, and serious illnesses.

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Here are a few but not all of the chemicals involved in the manufacturing process:

• Acetone - Nose, throat, lung, and eye irritation, damage to the skin, confusion, unconsciousness, possible coma

• Arsenic -Nausea, delirium, vomiting, dyspepsia, diarrhea, decrease in erythrocyte and leukocyte production, abnormal heart rhythm, blood vessel damage, extensive tissue damage to nerves, stomach, intestine, and skin, known human carcinogen for lung cancer

• Arsine - Headache, malaise, weakness, vertigo, dyspnea, nausea, abdominal and back pain, jaundice, peripheral neuropathy, anemia

• Benzene- Damage to bone marrow, anemia, excessive bleeding, immune system effects, increased chance of infection, reproductive effects, known human carcinogen for leukemia

• Brominated flame retardants - can build up in tissues, cause cancer, disrupt hormones, harm the reproductive system, thyroid system, and endocrine system,and cause neurodevelopmental problems

• Cadmium - Damage to lungs, renal dysfunction, immediate hepatic injury, bone defects, hypertension, reproductive toxicity, teratogenicity, known human carcinogen for lung and prostate cancer

• Hydrochloric acid -Highly corrosive, severe eye and skin burns, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, respiratory irritation

• Lead - Damage to renal, reproductive, and immune systems, spontaneous abortion, premature birth, low birth weight, learning deficits in children, anemia, memory effects, dementia, decreased reaction time, decreased mental ability

• Methyl chloroform - Headache, central nervous system depression, poor equilibrium, eye, nose, throat, and skin irritation, cardiac arrhythmia

• Toluene - Weakness, confusion, memory loss, nausea, permanent damage to brain, speech, vision, and hearing problems, loss of muscle control, poor balance, neurological problems and retardation of growth in children, suspected human carcinogen for lung and liver cancer

• Trichloroethylene - Irritation of skin, eyes, and respiratory tract, dizziness, drowsiness, speech and hearing impairment, kidney disease, blood disorders, stroke, diabetes, suspected human carcinogen for renal cancer