UNIVERSIDAD AUTNOMA DE BAJA CALIFORNIA

FACULTAD DE INGENIERA MEXICALI

Materia:

Tecnologa y Sociedad

Alumnos:

Bernal Velarde Jos Salvador [01122652]

Guzmn Moreno Francisco [01116265]

Martnez Zavala Vctor Manuel [01122338]

Exposicin:

Impacto de la tecnologa e ingeniera sobre el ambiente, y normas mexicanas e

internacionales reguladoras.

Docente:

M.C. Marlenne Angulo Bernal

Mexicali, Baja California a 28 de agosto del 2015

Part l.-

Introduction

In companies, businesses and homes has begun to generate (and in many cases

to build) a new type of garbage. Who does not have a television at home old, a

computer that does not work, a cell out of service? The list goes on, if we include

old audio equipment and all kinds of electronics obsolete or out of use: fax

machines, monitors, walkman, radios, telephones line, cameras digital, batteries,

PDAs, printers, photocopiers, appliances, and more ...

The generation and accumulation of this new type of garbage awoke first Europe

and worldwide today, a new concern regarding the environmental care. Such

wastes are known by the name of E-scrap, and also by the WEEE (Waste

Electrical and Electronic Equipment) symbol. In English corresponding acronym is

WEEE (waste electric and electronic equipement for). The theme already it

installed in our country. The trend is to recycle all components and recyclable

materials of this equipment and then find ways to dispose of unusable portions

thereof so that the environmental impact is minimized.

According to research, in Argentina this year will generate approximately 20

thousand tons of waste from computers and cell phones. If they included Also

appliances such as refrigerators and televisions, the figure may reach 70 thousand

tons. We are facing a new type of garbage and the questions arise:

What are the contaminants present in WEEE? What are the parties recyclable?

What is the position of public opinion? What the law says our country? The

following information attempts to answer these questions.

Part ll.-

Impact of technology

The word "technology" is a broad term and does not simply refer to high-tech

inventions or computerization, which is actually the misconception. Technology

comprises the crafting of materials and transforming them into implements that

allow man to control or manipulate natural resources in order to meet his needs.

Technology dates as far back as the Stone Age, when man discovered how to

make fire, 1.4 million years ago. In fact, no one could have thought back then that

fire, including its wood burning technology could create an impact on todays

natural environment through its greenhouse gas emissions.

The cavemen learned how to make fire that provided them heat, light and

protection against the wild animals that attacked them. They needed something to

illuminate the darkness and to provide warmth when the great big ball of fire

started to disappear from the sky. The cavemens first technological tools were

stone axes and spears which were used as protection and hunting implements.

Henceforth, succeeding steps were taken to improve what was initially invented.

This further made mans living conditions better and can be called technological

advancements. The impact of technology on the environment back then was not

too significant because it was mainly utilized to improve the supply of mans basic

needs.

As years passed, technological advancement was no longer confined to the mere

purpose of meeting mans needs for food, clothing and shelter. Different forms of

technological developments described the era of each civilization. It started from

Stone Age and was elevated to the Bronze Age and finally reached the Iron Age,

which brought technological advancements in weaponry.

Neighboring countries and regions came to wage war against each other and often

the victor was the one with better technology as far as weapons were concerned.

Even today, major countries spend billions of dollars for warfare technology to

ensure that no foreign leader or ruler can invade and claim a country or territory as

his own. Thus, the negative impact of technology on the environment began to

surface as more of the Earths natural resources and ecological habitats were

being depleted or disrupted.

Part III.-

Contamination from electronic waste

The disposal, recycling, and part salvaging of discarded electronic devices such as

computers, printers, televisions, and toys are now creating a new set of waste

problems. The preliminary results indicate that total polycyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil obtained from a printer roller dump site was 593g/kg

dry weight (dry wt.) and in sediment from a duck pond, the PAH concentration was

514g/kg (dry wt.).. A more thorough study is underway to elucidate the extent of

contamination of toxic pollutants in different ecological compartments to establish

whether these pollutants are bioaccumulated and biomagnified through food

chains. Assessments of human health impacts from oral intake, inhalation, and

dermal contact will be subsequently investigated.

In the electronic equipment we found lots of heavy metals between other, lead,

cadmium, selenium and mercury. Plastics are also contaminants used as

brominated flame retardants. We use these materials They have on computers and

adverse effects on health and the environment.

Lead: The lead oxide is used in monitors CRT (CRT) for computers and

televisions and in a type of solder glass (frit) that used to assemble the faceplate.

Exposure to lead causes intellectual impairment in children and damage the

systems nervous, bone, blood and reproductive adults. The effects are the same

as either by breathing or swallowing lead. This poisoning is historically known of

poisoning due to the dark halo it is observed on the gums of patients with high

pollution.

Lead in the environment becomes dangerous when it undergoes its aqueous

solution presence of air, especially in acid medium. Once in ionic form, this

contaminant can reach people not only by water but also by the intake of

vegetables and fruit that have absorbed lead from the soil.

Mercury:

This element is present in the circuit breakers power. On older machines, there

was also a considerable amount of it in electromechanical relays memory

equipment, tubes filled with mercury which acoustic pulses were formed. It is a

heavy metal that is liquid at room temperature, the vapors to pass easily be sucked

System respiratory nervous system. The first symptoms of mercury poisoning They

are allergic reactions, skin irritation, fatigue and headache. When the by poisoning

is severe or prolonged exposure becomes chronic observed damage to brain

function, adverse effects on reproduction (defects birth abortions), and even

damage to DNA and chromosomes. Like lead, this metal not only enters the body

through direct contact, but also when we eat food (animal and plant) or

contaminated water.

Part IV:

E-waste: Laws and regulations

Since certain components of electronic devices may be considered hazardous due

to heavy metal or other constituents, the end-of-life handling of some electronic

discards is regulated by either federal (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act--

RCRA) or State (Health and Safety Code) hazardous waste laws, or both.

Regulations were promulgated to implement the Electronic Waste Recycling Act of

2003, with primary departments being CalRecycle and Department of Toxic

Substance Control (DTSC).

(Current Covered Electric Waste Program Regulations (File Adjoint))