Human Health Impact of E-Waste in Mexico

Soto-Sumuano, J. Leonardo; Cendejas-Valdez, José Luis; Ferreira-Medina, Heberto; Tlacuilo-Parra, J. Alberto; Vanegas-Contreras, Gustavo Abraham; Ocampo-Hidalgo, Juan J.

Mexico is the third electronic waste generator in America, only under the U.S. and Brazil. The main contribution of this study is a proposal of a sustainability model based on the generic cycle (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse) that allows extending the useful life of electronic waste through the reuse of components. It is known that the elements that contribute to this are: 1) the excessive technological consumerism, 2) the average short life cycle use of computers, and 3) the huge amount of mobile devices, batteries, and other gadgets left away due to obsolescence. These phenomena bring every day to increase the generation of electronic garbage, contributing environmental pollution and the poisoning of soil, water, and air. This work shows a methodology with the following elements; i) interviews, ii) survey, iii) data analysis, iv) correlations, and v) results over the impact of human health. In addition, the role they play in the context of problematic cities is discussed, with the companies that develop software that require greater hardware re-sources so that their applications work in the best way, which generates a limited lifetime in the devices and that the software that is built requires more resources for its optimal operation; thus, advancing the useful life and becoming technological waste. The new proposed model is based on; 1) awareness (reduce and reuse), 2) recycling (techniques and ways to reuse components so that it does not become garbage) and 3) the solution-prevention that helps minimize the impact on human health (reuse).