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Ghana e-waste

27 images Created 22 Sep 2008

Every year, hundreds of thousands of computers and other electronics are discarded from industrialized nations. A large number of them end up in Ghana, West Africa, where non-functional items are torn apart to salvage copper, aluminum, and other metals that can be sold for money. Mainly the business of young men and children, copper wires and other components are set ablaze to burn off the plastic, releasing toxic fumes and chemicals that contaminate the environment and people who live nearby.

A study by Greenpeace revealed that ground samples collected in the areas used for e-waste recycling contained toxic metals - including lead - in quantities as much as one hundred times above background levels. Other chemicals such as phthalates, some of which are known to interfere with sexual reproduction, were found in most of the samples tested. One sample also contained a high level of chlorinated dioxins, known to promote cancer.
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  • Computer monitor casings and other trash litter an area located near Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday August 12, 2008.
    GHA08.0812.COMPUTERDUMP0040.jpg
  • Boys play football in an area littered with discarded computer monitors and other electronics near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday August 12, 2008.
    GHA08.0812.COMPUTERDUMP0107.jpg
  • A man loads electronics destined for junk on a cart at the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday August 12, 2008.
    GHA08.0812.COMPUTERDUMP0077.jpg
  • Young men pull apart the contents of computer monitors and other electronics to recover copper and other metals that can be sold for money at the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0006.jpg
  • Young men pull apart the contents of computer monitors and other electronics to recover copper and other metals that can be sold for money near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0012.jpg
  • A girl stands among discarded pieces of electronics near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday August 12, 2008.
    GHA08.0812.COMPUTERDUMP0013.jpg
  • A teenager pulls apart the contents of a computer keyboard monitors to recover a plate of metal that can be sold for money near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0017.jpg
  • Discarded computer keyboards and parts of other electronics are piled up near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday August 12, 2008. The brand name IBM is clearly readable on one of the keyboards.
    GHA08.0812.COMPUTERDUMP0047.jpg
  • A boy sits on his bicycle near a large pile of plastic casings from computers and other electronics near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday August 12, 2008.
    GHA08.0812.COMPUTERDUMP0058.jpg
  • The empty casing of a computer monitor lays on the ground while boys burn plastic off cables from electronics to recover copper near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday August 12, 2008.
    GHA08.0812.COMPUTERDUMP0017.jpg
  • A boy stirs the fire he uses to burn plastic off computer parts to recover copper that he will then sell for money near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0071.jpg
  • A boy holds a ball of cables that came from computers and other electronics as he intends to burn them to extract copper that can be sold for money near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0078.jpg
  • A boys walks through smoke as he carries a ball of cables that came from computers and other electronics near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008. Boys use fire to burn off the plastic off cables and extract the copper that can be sold for money. Half a kilo of copper will sell for about $2..
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0087.JPG
  • A young man stirs the fire he uses to burn plastic off computer parts to recover copper that he will then sell for money near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0098.jpg
  • A boy pours water from a plastic sachet onto hot copper wire to cool it off before handling it near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0125.jpg
  • A boy handles a bundle of copper wire after burning off the plastic that covered it near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008..
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0131.jpg
  • A boy rummages through ashes as he looks for strings of copper wire near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0137.jpg
  • Boys burn parts of computers and other electronics to recover copper wires and cables near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008..
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0156.jpg
  • A boy sits on the back casing of a computer monitor while his friend stirs the fire to recover copper from electrical cables near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0164.JPG
  • A girl who sells sachets of drinking water waits while boys burn cables from electronics to recover copper near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008. While girls aren't directly involved in the business, they sell boys the water they use to cool off hot copper wires before handling them.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0167.JPG
  • A boy sits on the back casing of a computer monitor while his friend stirs the fire to recover copper from electrical cables near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0178.JPG
  • A boy carries a load of cables and wires from computers and other electronics as he prepares to set them on fire to recover copper near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0186.JPG
  • Boys rummage through ashes as they look for strings of copper wire near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0189.JPG
  • Boys rummage through ashes as they look for strings of copper wire near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0199.jpg
  • Boys stand in a cloud of smoke by burning pieces of plastic near the Agbogboloshie market in Accra, Ghana on Thursday August 21, 2008..Using pieces of plastic from computer casings and foam from old refrigerators, boys build fires to burn plastic off cables that come from computers and other electronics. They recover the copper and sell it for about $4 a kilo.
    GHA08.0821.COMPUTERDUMP0205.JPG
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