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One perturbing fact about electronics is that its hazards are not told until large sample of people have been reported to have been affected as a result of their uses. New electronics are invented on the daily basis, with Nigerians on the stat as one of highest buyers of evolving electronics.

Electronics are certain body of boards which contain contaminants such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants. These components release certain hazardous properties as a result of heat-ups or insignificant amount of vibrations from their operations. These vibrations in turn pose some minimal threats (depending on the amount of risky leads involved) to individuals or communities as a whole. Thanks to air, the harmful properties from these electronics vanish sporadically into large atmosphere, but some of it succeed into delicate parts of the body when they are inhaled by humans. The intake of insignificant amount in a short time will accumulate into significant health disturbance after a while.
In the long run, users of certain electronics may secure harms from the long use of electronics. New electronics may still be tolerable before expiry or their recycling ages. Developed countries would recommend the use of new electronics for a specified safe time, with serious warnings against prolonged use. Impressive yet, governmental agencies in developed countries will religiously (or patriotically) scour markets to be sure products in stock are very safe for use; any unit found to be unsafe in stock will cause the entire products of same brand to suffer ban or huge penalty.

Nigerians are vulnerable:
Over-zealously fond of flashy electronics, Nigerians will buy any phones, iPods, cameras, laptops and all sorts of mobile electronic gadgets to amour themselves and still stay in richly equipped electronics offices and homes. Infarct, Nigerians will hardly survive a day without their exposure to any electronic equipment. It is not a bad idea to use electronics, but the worse fact about Nigerians’ use of electronics is that they are the largest buyers of the disposed-recycled electronics wastes from developed countries. In summary, Nigerians buy the scraps.
Rapid changes in technology, changes in media (tapes, software, MP3), falling prices, and planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of electronic waste around the globe. Dave Kruch, CEO of Cash For Laptops, regards electronic waste as a "rapidly expanding" issue. According to a report by UNEP titled, "Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources," the amount of e-waste being produced - including mobile phones and computers - could rise by as much as 500 percent over the next decade.

Even in developed countries recycling and disposal of e-waste may involve significant risk to workers and communities. Exposure to improperly recycled material is generally unsafe. Scrap industry and USA EPA officials agree that materials should be managed with caution. However, the business minded electronics handlers have not taken to this caution. Electronics recycling and coupling dens in Nigeria are grossly unregulated. Individuals pick up scraps dumped for incineration and with little skills in electronics soldering, re-couple them for cheap sales as unsuspecting and cheap-spoof loving Nigerians will fall for the hazardous ‘awoof’ bait! Young Nigerians slim their chances at health through accumulated e-wastes daily acquired.


Writing from Lagos,
Olawoye 'Segun (O' Law)

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