NOUS SOIGNONS CEUX QUE LE MONDE OUBLIE PEU A PEU @ LAM DUC HIEN

MEDECINS DU MONDE

PILOT PROGRAM

MITIGATION OF

ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH

HAZARDS RELATED TO E-WASTE

INFORMAL RECYCLING

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this paper/presentation are the views

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the

Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the

governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the

data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any

consequence of their use. Terminology used may not necessarily be

consistent with ADB official terms.

2 2 MdM mission

Caring and witnessing

Caring: providing healthcare to the most

vulnerable populations affected by war, natural

disasters, disease, famine, poverty and exclusion.

Witnessing: giving a voice to vulnerable people,

bearing witness to obstacles to healthcare and

advocating for change.

3 3 MdM worldwide

Intervention priorities: Care for migrants, displaced

persons and refugees

Sexual and reproductive health

Harm reduction and fight against HIV/AIDS

Disaster and crisis response

Mental Health

Environmental health

312 programmes in 79 countries

4 4 MdM in the Philippines

1996: Emergency program Typhoon Rosing

in Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte

1996-1998: Primary Health Care program

Northern Samar

2012-2016: E-waste program in Metro

Manila

2013: Emergency program Typhoon

Yolanda in Leyte

5 5 E-waste recycling

Dismantling, crushing, burning, smelting of any electronic or electric

appliances to recover valuable parts

E-waste: small and large household

appliances, IT and telecom equipment,

lighting equipment, etc.

Fastest growing waste stream globally

(UNEP): 40 millions additional metric tons of

e-waste produced yearly

Formal and informal sector (Nigeria, Ghana,

China, India, Thailand, Vitenam and the

Philippines).

6 6 In the Philippines

The market: Increased consumption of e-products

Second-hand appliances

The policy: No protective regulation for the importation of e-waste

No proactive regulation for management of e-waste

The technology: Weak formal system

No collection mechanism

-> Informal sector

7 7 The informal dismantling sector

Buy e-waste

Dismantle

Segregate

Sell to junk shops Sell to repairmen

Income Income

Informal electronic waste recycling includes the

dismantling of end-of-life electronics to retrieve valuable elements with primitive techniques () allowing the emission of dangerous chemicals

The Lancet

8 8

Plastic casing removal

9 9

Circuit board removal

10 10

Segregation

11 11

Crushing of cathode ray tubes

12 12

Bismuth metal recovery

13 13

Recovery of copper and oil from the compressor

14 14

Wire stripping

15 15

Segregation

16 16 The informal dismantlers

Urban poor (average daily family income PHP 250)

Male, mean age 30

Household: average 7 people

Highest school attainment: 60% secondary

Previous occupation: diverse (factory or construction workers, side-car

drivers, solid waste recyclers, )

Median duration in recycling: 4 years

No intention to stop recycling

17 17 Challenges of the informal dismantlers

Individual challenges: Low educational attainment

Discrimination

Economic challenges Low productivity

Lack of access to capital for daily activity

Lack of access to waste resources

Lack of access to competitive buyers of dismantled waste

Income generation vs. Personal protection

Lack of access to health care and anti-poverty programs

Social and health vulnerability

18 18

E-waste components Component of e-products and release process

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)

Brominated flame retardants Fire retardants for electronic equipment

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers

Polychlorinated biphenyls Fluids, lubricants and coolants in generators, capacitors, fluorescent lighting,

ceiling fans, dishwashers and electric motors

Dioxins

polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans Released as combustion byproduct

Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls Released as combustion byproduct and also found in fluids, lubricants and

coolants, etc.

Perfluroalkyls and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) Fluoropolymers in electronics

Released as combustion byproduct

Elements

Lead Printed circuit board, cathodic ray tubes, light bulbs, televisions and batteries

Chromium or hexavalent chromium Data tapes, floppy disc, antocorrosion coatings

Cadmium Switches, springs, connectors, printed cicruit boards, batteries, cathodic ray tube,

mobile phones, etc.

Mercury Thermostats, sensors, cold cathode fluorescent lamps, printed circuit board, etc.

Zinc Cathode ray tube and metal coatings

Nickel Batteries

Lithium Batteries

Barium Cathode ray tubes and fluorescent lamps

Beryllium Computers, X-ray machines, ceramic component of electronics

19 19 Health effects of e-waste components

Neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioural effects

POPs, PAH, lead, cadmium, mercury

Adverse perinatal and neonatal outcomes

POPs, PAH, dioxins and furans, cadmium

Impairement in reproductive development and fertility

lead, POPs

Carcinogenic

Cadmium, hexavalent chromium and beryllium

Genotoxins

POPs, PAH, chromium, nickel, aluminium

Chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases

POPs, dioxins, possibly cadmium

Chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases:

20 20 Exposure to e-waste components

Complex process: occupational and environmental exposure

various routes of intoxication,

different lengths of exposure time,

mixture of chemicals

Alternative sources of pollution: difficulty in exposure measurement

E-waste as an emerging health risk for many populations The Lancet

21 21

MdM approach

Not everything is bad, but

everything is dangerous ()

Whenever there is danger, there is

the possibility of action - Michel

Foucault

-> Risk reduction

22 22 MdM Risk Reduction Approach

Pragmatic observations:

Reality (recylcing include harmful practices)

Non-effectiveness of bans in changing health practices

Positive definition of health :

People as subjects of their health, not objects.

Health is the balance and harmony of all the possibilities of the human person (biological, psychological and social)

23 23 MdM Program

Manila, Capulong Street

Malabon, Barangay Longos

Caloocan, Barangay Bagong Silang

Caloocan, Barangay Camarin

-> Target group: 468 dismantlers

-> Direct beneficiaries: 2,112 people

-> Indirect beneficiaries: 61,400 people

24 24 Program objectives

Reduction of

the exposure

Mitigation of health and

environmental hazards

Access to quality

health care

Community organizing

25 25 Objective 1

Reduction of

the exposure

Mitigation of health and

environmental hazards

Access to quality

health care

Community organizing

26 26 Community organizing

4 organisations of dismantlers

Registered at the Presidential Commission

on Urban Poor

347 members (75% of the dismantlers)

Health, education, livelihood committees

27 27 Support for the organisation leaders

Capacity building trainings:

Self-awareness training

Leadership training

Project proposal, budgeting, accounting,

Adapted to the dismantlers

Support in engaging government agencies and other NGOs and stakeholder (NGOs, civil society,

etc.)

28 28 Objective 2

Reduction of

the exposure

Mitigation of health and

environmental hazards

Access to

quality health care

Community organizing

29 29 Reduction of the exposure

Provision of PPEs

Encouragement of safer practices

Clean-up drives

Set-up of self-recycling areas / facilities

30 30 Clean-up drives

The activity like the Clean up

Day is very new to me. I found it

to be productive because other

community members viewed us

as role models, which made me

proud of what we did

Roger, dismantler in Longos

31 31 Safe Recycling Areas / Facilities

Separation of working areas and living areas Mitigate environmental contamination

Mitigate environmental exposure of children and pregant women

Improvements in the safety of the dismantlers Proper tools and equipments

Hand washing equipment

Support in change of practices

32 32 Objective 3

Reduction of

the exposure

Mitigation of health and

environmental hazards

Access to

quality health care

Community organizing

33 33 Access to health care

Information, Education and

Communication on e-waste hazards

Linkage between communities and

barangay health centres

Referral system for intoxication

Thermostat Mercury

Interior coating made of phosphors which may

contain cadmium

Glass panel contains lead

34 34 Transversal: Research (1/2)

In partnership with the University of Cincinnati and the University of the Philippines

The first intervention study of e-waste toxicant exposure reduction

Community-based participatory research with a prospective cohort study

Aim 1: To examine the effect of intervention on toxicant exposures in recyclers

and family members

Aim 2: To investigate the effect of intervention on pulmonary function,

child development, and health outcomes in recyclers and family members

Aim 3: To test the effect of intervention on biomarkers of systemic inflammation

and oxidative stress in recyclers and family members

-> Provide evidence and inform policy making

35 35 Transversal: Advocacy (2/2)

Advocacy aim: Recognition of the informal sector for an improved access to health care

and social services

Advocacy network: Civil Society Forum on E-waste Issues Greenpeace

Ecowaste Coalition

BAN Toxic

Blacksmith Institute

The E-waste project UP Circuit

Solid Waste Management Association

of the Philippines

Asia Europe peoples Forum

NOUS SOIGNONS CEUX QUE LE MONDE OUBLIE PEU A PEU

References:

http://www.medecinsdumonde.org/

http://humanitaire.revues.org/3032 and http://humanitaire.revues.org/2976

http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/langlo/PIIS2214109X13701013.pdf?id=iaaHUIV-

RUdp_dCv_bCIu

http://www.unep.org/pdf/Recycling_From_e-waste_to_resources.pdf

Thank you