Module 10 Lesson 2 | BR Pre-Intermediate

Overview

The report focuses on the dangers of electronic waste (“e-waste”) being exported and dumped in Ghana, where very young children scavenge discarded computers and televisions for scrap metal.

Key Points

• Children scavenging e-waste in Ghana: In Accra (Ghana’s capital), about 100 children—some as young as four—come after school to salvage metal from discarded electronics to earn around $1 a day, sometimes only enough for a meal.
• Health risks from informal recycling: Scavenging often involves burning junk computers to extract copper wiring. This process produces a toxic mixture of chemicals linked to serious health consequences, including organ damage and brain impacts (including reduced IQ), attributed to lead and other toxins.
• Concerns about U.S. e-waste exporting: The story emphasizes that waste discarded in the United States ends up in places like Ghana, noting that the U.S. is not effectively preventing harmful e-waste flows.
• U.S. regulation and enforcement debate: The report references U.S. and federal concerns that harmful e-waste exports were largely unrestricted, citing a 2008 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found the Environmental Protection Agency and the federal government were doing little or nothing to regulate e-waste at the time.
• Why stricter domestic rules don’t stop exports: Even though the U.S. has stricter disposal regulations domestically—and disposal is more costly—e-waste is shipped because it is cheaper elsewhere. As a result, children will keep coming as long as the waste continues to arrive.

Presenters / Contributors

• Ron Claiborne (ABC News reporter)
• Yusuf Nasheed (child scavenger interviewed)
• Jack Johnson (interview contributor)