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19 May, 2010
There continue to be serious concerns among trade unions and other civil society organizations about the impact of substances used in the manufacture of electrical and electronic products on workers' health as well as on the environment.
Health problems experienced by workers from working with hazardous substances include respiratory problems, burns, eye irritation, skin diseases, damage to the nervous system, cancers, headaches, fatigue and drowsiness, lack of co-ordination or unconsciousness and liver and kidney failure. Women workers are at specific risk of damage to their reproductive health. Suspected cancer clusters have been reported among workers in the U.S., Scotland and, most recently, at Samsung in Korea.
Excessive working hours, which are endemic in parts of the industry where 10-12 hour days six days a week are typical, exacerbate the risk of health problems. Workers in high-volume production lines are at risk of repetitive strain injuries. 'Standing operations', an increasingly common practice that requires workers to work long hours in a standing position, causes workers to suffer from a range of health and stress related problems. There are many reports of pregnant workers being forced to continue standing at work.
The length and complexity of electrical and electronics supply chains necessarily mean that there are problems with monitoring the use of hazardous substances in the manufacturing process. Most alarmingly, repeated studies have found that workers in the factories do not know themselves what substances they are working with and what effect these could have on their health.
At even greater risk are workers involved in the recycling or 'breaking' of electrical and electronic products. The United Nations estimates that up to 50 million tonnes of e-waste may be generated in the world each year, but currently only 10 per cent of electronic products are recycled. The remainder is dumped as e-waste, often in developing countries in Asia and Africa, where men, women and even children who survive by scavenging garbage are exposed to the toxins they contain.
While some companies have taken significant steps to eliminate harmful chemicals from their products and to improve the energy efficiency of their products, most companies are still not giving this issue sufficient attention. Moreover, the electronics industry has a key role to play in addressing climate change by developing technologies that can assist other industries in reducing their carbon emissions.