China will set up three centers to combat electronic pollution,
said the Ministry of Information Technology (MIT) on Sunday.
The three centers, all under electronics research institutes
supervised by the MIT, will be responsible for testing electronic
products as well as conducting research on standards, energy
saving, product recycling, and disposal.
Mobile phones, for example, contain heavy metals such as lead
and beryllium, as well as bromide used as a flame retardant in the
circuit boards, all of which are potentially dangerous for
humans.
The cadmium contained in a single mobile phone battery can
contaminate about 60,000 liters of water.
The new centers will implement the government's Management
Methods for Controlling Pollution by Electronic Information
Products.
China's first green regulations in the electronic sector, which
took effect on March 1 this year, are intended to enhance
environmental protection by reducing or eliminating certain toxic
and hazardous substances in electronic products.
China is expected to issue a new regulation in August requiring
businesses to guarantee toxic substances will not leak from their
devices. The nation will introduce standards on non-lead soldering
at the end of the year.
(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2007)