Electronic waste : harmful U.S. exports flow virtually unrestricted because of minimal EPA enforcement and narrow regulation : testimony before the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives /

Increasingly, U.S. consumers are recycling their old electronics to prevent the environmental harm that can come from disposal. Concerns have grown, however, that some U.S. companies are exporting these items to developing countries, where unsafe recycling practices can damage health and the environ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Stephenson, John B.
Corporate Authors:	United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment, United States. Government Accountability Office
Format:	Government Document eBook
Language:	English
Published:	[Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, [2008]
Series:	Testimony ; GAO-08-1166 T.
Subjects:	United States. > Environmental Protection Agency > Rules and practice. Electronic waste > United States > Management. Electronic apparatus and appliances > Environmental aspects > United States. Recycling (Waste, etc.) > United States.
Online Access:	http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081166t.pdf http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-1166T https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/LPS105139

Description
Summary:	Increasingly, U.S. consumers are recycling their old electronics to prevent the environmental harm that can come from disposal. Concerns have grown, however, that some U.S. companies are exporting these items to developing countries, where unsafe recycling practices can damage health and the environment. Items with cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) are particularly harmful because they contain lead, a known toxin. As a result, in January 2007, EPA began regulating the export of CRTs under a rule requiring companies to notify EPA before exporting CRTs. GAO's August 2008 report examined (1) the fate of exported used electronics, (2) the effectiveness of regulatory controls over the export of these devices, and (3) options to strengthen federal regulation of exported used electronics. Among other things, GAO reviewed waste management surveys in developing countries, monitored e-commerce Web sites, and posed as foreign Internet buyers of broken CRTs.
Item Description:	Title from title screen (viewed on Sept. 17, 2008). "For release on delivery ... September 17, 2008." Electronic resource.
Physical Description:	17 pages : digital, PDF file.
Format:	System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Mode of access: World Wide Web from GAO web site. Address as of 9/17/08: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d081166t.pdf ; current access available via PURL.
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references.