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Wireless World: Old mobile phones a hazard
United Press International ^ | December 3, 2004 | Gene Koprowski

Posted on 12/03/2004 10:18:54 AM PST by kerrywearsbotox

By Gene J. Koprowski UPI Technology News

Published 12/3/2004 9:04 AM CHICAGO, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A mobile phone is a disposable product -- consumers buy a new one about every year and a half, and toss the old one in the closet. Then, years later, when they have a major house-cleaning weekend, they find a few old phones collecting dust and toss them out in the trash. Experts told UPI's Wireless World this pattern is starting to become a major environmental issue, as old mobile phones start to fill up garbage dumps across the United States and leach lead, arsenic, gold and other toxins into the groundwater. "There are a lot of heavy metals being released into landfills because of old mobile phones," said Chuck Harrell, an environmental supervisor with the Southeastern Public Service Authority, a government agency in Chesapeake, Va.Now, mobile phone manufacturers such as Motorola Corp. are collaborating with environmentalists and the government to solve this emerging problem. --Wireless World is a weekly series examining the social, cultural and economic impact of mobile telephony technology, by Gene Koprowski, who covers technology for UPI Science News. E-mail sciencemail@upi.com. Copyright © 2001-2004 United Press International

(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News
KEYWORDS: environment; landfills; mobilephones; toxins; wireless
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To: frgoff

Cell phone in lined landfill.
Heavy metal in leachate.
Leachate leaks into streat.
Crawdad ingests metals
catfish eats crayfish
bubba eats catfish, actually a whole mess of fried catfish, thereby ingesting significant amounts of heavy metals over the years.

Maybe a little extreme, but the stuff is quite difficult & expensive to remove from waterourses.

All landfills leak. period.


21 posted on 12/03/2004 10:37:49 AM PST by Fierce Allegiance (Stay safe in the "sandbox" Greg!)
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To: Old Professer

Gold won't hurt, my dad gets injections for his arthritis.

It's the nickel, cadmium, etc.


22 posted on 12/03/2004 10:39:17 AM PST by Fierce Allegiance (Stay safe in the "sandbox" Greg!)
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To: EggsAckley
Why do they need new ones so often?

Because Madison Avenue has convinced people that cell phones are as much a fashion statement as a means to communicate.

23 posted on 12/03/2004 10:41:02 AM PST by dfwgator (It's sad that the news media treats Michael Jackson better than our military.)
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To: Fierce Allegiance

"OH, don't claim that heavy metals cause health hazards - some (a small but ignorant minority) will call you a pinko enviro-fag."

You ARE being sarcastic...no?





24 posted on 12/03/2004 10:41:30 AM PST by AlexW
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To: EggsAckley
Why do they need new ones so often?

The colors change.

25 posted on 12/03/2004 10:41:56 AM PST by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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To: dfwgator; Aquinasfan

Sadly, you're both correct.

I'm very happy with my six year old Nokia.


26 posted on 12/03/2004 10:43:21 AM PST by EggsAckley (...............stop unnecessary excerpting.................)
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To: AlexW

no.


27 posted on 12/03/2004 10:55:27 AM PST by Fierce Allegiance (Stay safe in the "sandbox" Greg!)
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To: kerrywearsbotox
Please, give me a break. Dumping an old phone in the trash adds about 0.000000000001% to the solid waste stream. Aren't there slightly more pressing things libs need to worry about?
28 posted on 12/03/2004 11:02:12 AM PST by crv16
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To: farmfriend


29 posted on 12/03/2004 11:08:13 AM PST by Libertarianize the GOP (Make all taxes truly voluntary)
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To: Fierce Allegiance
Well, I have been in the two-way radio business for over 30 years, and sold cell phones in the days when they were in handbags.

The thought of discarded phones being a health hazard is quite ludicrous.
Just think...How many hand held phones would make up the same content of heavy metals as ONE automobile battery?

I could go on about this, but it is not worth the time for something this ridiculous.
30 posted on 12/03/2004 11:08:43 AM PST by AlexW
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To: kerrywearsbotox; abbi_normal_2; Ace2U; adam_az; Alamo-Girl; Alas; alfons; alphadog; amom; ...
Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.
31 posted on 12/03/2004 11:09:53 AM PST by farmfriend ( In Essentials, Unity...In Non-Essentials, Liberty...In All Things, Charity.)
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To: crv16

You are right, the volume isn't a problem. The lib/com scum used to say disposable diapers would choke the landfills, until it was proven that typically make up only 0.5% of a typical landfill volume. Newsprint was at approx 35%, but you didn't see print reporters touting that, did you?


32 posted on 12/03/2004 11:10:33 AM PST by Fierce Allegiance (Stay safe in the "sandbox" Greg!)
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To: AlexW

You are right, the lead and acid are nasty, especially because the lead is soluble to an extent in the acid. Most auto batteries are recycled nowadays.

The metals are different in the new batteries.

I knew I would get this s4it from someone.


33 posted on 12/03/2004 11:13:36 AM PST by Fierce Allegiance (Stay safe in the "sandbox" Greg!)
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To: Thebaddog

SSSSSHHHHH!! Bob-the-Taxman-Taft might hear about this and levy yet another tax on us Ohioans!! He's taxed just about everything else!! Paging Ken Blackwell -- HELP!!!


34 posted on 12/03/2004 11:13:50 AM PST by Polyxene (For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel - Martin Luther)
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To: kerrywearsbotox
Experts told UPI's Wireless World this pattern is starting to become a major environmental issue, as old mobile phones start to fill up garbage dumps across the United States and leach lead, arsenic, gold and other toxins into the groundwater.

Leaching gold? Are they kidding? Pray tell, unless there's a healthy flow of aqua regia in the groundwater, how would that happen? Further, seeing as groundwater pollution from lead hasn't been detected in Gettysburg of Verdun, what do you think the likelihood of that is from cellphones?

This is nothing more than a scam.

35 posted on 12/03/2004 11:26:55 AM PST by Carry_Okie (There are people in power who are really stupid.)
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To: Fierce Allegiance

Well at least by cutting down the number of recipients it will delay the day that Social Security collapses.


36 posted on 12/03/2004 11:27:23 AM PST by NHResident
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To: Polyxene

I was just in Dayton over Thanksgiving and everybody was crying the economic blues. I don't get it. The whole town is manufacturing and white collar and nothing is going on they say. Methinks that voting red this time might just help you guys.


37 posted on 12/03/2004 11:27:46 AM PST by Thebaddog (Dawgs at rest.)
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To: farmfriend

BTTT!!!!!!!


38 posted on 12/03/2004 11:29:14 AM PST by E.G.C.
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To: EggsAckley
This is mind boggling to me. I have owned a total of two cell phones over the past fifteen years. Why do they need new ones so often?

Battery life, reception, Bluetooth connectivity to computer, photos of grandkid on display, Alarm functions, size, ...

And this is just the base model now.

39 posted on 12/03/2004 11:31:25 AM PST by WildTurkey
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To: kerrywearsbotox

Cell phones are a very successful consumer product; electric cars are as yet an unsuccessful product that is favored by government & enviromentalist groups. Both use batteries that, if not disposed of properly, will cause problems at landfills. Guess which product catches all the heat?


40 posted on 12/03/2004 11:32:02 AM PST by Tallguy
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