Mobile Phone News and Reviews

There are many hazardous chemicals used in the manufacture of mobile phones. The majority of the materials in a mobile phone are the plastics and polymers that go into making the casing and circuit boards. These components generally don’t break down over time and will remain

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There are many hazardous chemicals used in the manufacture of mobile phones. The majority of the materials in a mobile phone are the plastics and polymers that go into making the casing and circuit boards. These components generally don’t break down over time and will remain in the environment for years after being discarded.

Brominated flame-retardants are used to prevent fire inside mobile phones but are, oddly enough, highly flammable themselves. They are thought to cause cancer and complications in pregnancy leading to developmental problems and learning difficulties. These substances are now banned in some European countries.

The high quality capacitors and other electronic components contain rare metals such as arsenic and beryllium. Both of these are group 1 carcinogens and have other toxic effects in the body, usually resulting in death. Mobile phone batteries contain the highest amounts of some of the more toxic materials in the phone including lithium, cadmium, and other heavy metals such as cobalt, zinc and copper. Of these cadmium is the 7th most toxic substance known to man.

All of these chemicals can escape into the environment if a mobile phone ends up in a landfill site, possibly making their way into ground water that makes up our drinking water supply. For this reason it is best to have your old mobiles recycled free of charge by one of the many phone recycling companies that are available such as Mazuma or Envirofone. These companies also offer cash for mobile phones that are reusable and can be sold on.

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