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PC dust 'could be toxic'
04/06/2004 11:28 - (SA)
San Francisco - "Toxic dust" found on computer processors and monitors contains chemicals linked to reproductive and neurological disorders, a new study says.
The survey, released on Thursday by Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, Computer TakeBack Campaign and Clean Production Action, is among the first to identify brominated flame retardants on the surfaces of common devices.
Electronics companies began using polybrominated diphenyl (PBDEs) and other flame retardants in the 1970s, arguing that the toxins prevent fires and cannot escape from plastic casings.
The study found that tiny particles of the toxic chemicals are leaching out, escaping into the air and attaching to ordinary dust on computers.
"This will be a great surprise to everyone who uses a computer," said Ted Smith, director of the US Toxics Coalition.
"The chemical industry is subjecting us all to what amounts to chemical trespass by putting these substances into use in commerce. They continue to use their chemicals in ways that are affecting humans and other species."
Researchers collected samples of dust from dozens of computers in eight states, including university computer labs in New York, Michigan and Texas, legislative offices in California, and an interactive computer display at a children's museum in Maine.
The most toxic piece of equipment discovered by the researchers was a new flat-screen monitor at a university in New York, implying that newer equipment isn't necessarily cleaner.
'Persist in the environment'
Penta- and octa-brominated diphenyl will be taken off the market by the end of the year.
PBDEs, which have caused neurological damage in laboratory rats in numerous studies, are related to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs have been used in fire extinguishers, fluorescent lights and liquid insulators since the 1920s.
PCBs were outlawed in the 1970s, but the toxins don't erode and still persist in the environment.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and several other organisations have confirmed that PCBs damage brains of human foetuses.
Scientists have not directly correlated exposure to PBDEs with specific diseases or developmental impairment.
Independent researchers who reviewed the new study say consumers shouldn't throw out their computers, and they needn't wear special gloves or minimise exposure to computer monitors.
"The levels in the dust are enough to raise a red flag, but not enough to create a crisis," said Dr Gina Solomon, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defence Council.
Researchers for the Toxics Coalition believe that they would get similar results on TV's and other electronic equipment.
The electronics industry has been reducing or eliminating some brominated flame retardants since the 1990s, when European countries began prohibiting the sale of products that contain the chemicals.
On the net:
www.svtc.org
- SAPA
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