<p>E-waste, or electronic waste, describes end-of-life goods such as computers, TV, printers, and mobile phones. A large proportion of worldwide e-waste is exported to China. <br /><br />Due to the crude recycling process, many pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, are released from e-waste, which can easily accumulate in the body through intake of contaminated air. <br /><br />Each year hundreds of millions of tonnes of e-waste is generated worldwide, 100,000 tonnes of which is exported from the UK shores alone, reports the journal Environmental Research Letters. <br /><br />Researchers from Zhejiang University took air samples from Taizhou - one of the largest e-waste dismantling areas in China - and examined their effects on outer coating of human lung, according to a Zhejiang statement. <br /><br />After exposing the cultured lung cells to these samples, researchers tested for the level of Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a key element in inflammatory response, and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), chemically reactive molecules that can damage health. <br /><br />Inflammation is a process by which the body’s white blood cells and chemicals protect us from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. <br /><br />The results showed that the samples of pollutants caused marked spike in both Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels, which indicate an inflammatory response and oxidative stress respectively. <br /><br />Study co-author Fangxing Yang, of Zhejiang University, said: “Of course, inflammatory response and oxidative stress are also associated with other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases.” <br /><br />“From these results, it is clear that the ‘open’ dismantlement of e-waste must be forbidden with more primitive techniques improved,” Yang added.</p>
<p>E-waste, or electronic waste, describes end-of-life goods such as computers, TV, printers, and mobile phones. A large proportion of worldwide e-waste is exported to China. <br /><br />Due to the crude recycling process, many pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals, are released from e-waste, which can easily accumulate in the body through intake of contaminated air. <br /><br />Each year hundreds of millions of tonnes of e-waste is generated worldwide, 100,000 tonnes of which is exported from the UK shores alone, reports the journal Environmental Research Letters. <br /><br />Researchers from Zhejiang University took air samples from Taizhou - one of the largest e-waste dismantling areas in China - and examined their effects on outer coating of human lung, according to a Zhejiang statement. <br /><br />After exposing the cultured lung cells to these samples, researchers tested for the level of Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a key element in inflammatory response, and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), chemically reactive molecules that can damage health. <br /><br />Inflammation is a process by which the body’s white blood cells and chemicals protect us from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. <br /><br />The results showed that the samples of pollutants caused marked spike in both Interleukin-8 (IL-8) and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels, which indicate an inflammatory response and oxidative stress respectively. <br /><br />Study co-author Fangxing Yang, of Zhejiang University, said: “Of course, inflammatory response and oxidative stress are also associated with other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases.” <br /><br />“From these results, it is clear that the ‘open’ dismantlement of e-waste must be forbidden with more primitive techniques improved,” Yang added.</p>