- Nov 16, 2007 6:44 AM EST
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Much like plastic and other non degradable materials, our old television sets and computer monitors often end up in the ground. According to EE Times Europe, a study done by the United Nations University concluded that by 2020 electronic waste would amount to 12.3 million tons for the European Union alone.
In addition to being perfect candidates for landfills, used-up electronics often contain rather unpleasant ingredients like lead, barium and strontium. And while by now I am somewhat murky on Chem 101, I seem to remember strontium, or SR-90, being this charming radioactive fission material that can also be found... in a nuclear reactor!!!
I suppose my half-life paranoia translates well to all languages, since the Europeans decided to swiftly deal with the problem by creating the Eco TV project. Led by the Provincial Council of Valencia in Spain, the Valencian Construction Technology Institute (AIDICO) and the Hungarian E-misszi Environmental Association, Eco TV is a process of turning polluting electronic "components into such materials as ceramic floor tiles and resin, which could be applied to cement as an insulating component and a construction material."
Whew! For a minute there I actually thought of getting myself a Geiger counter.