Waste and its Impacts on Environment and Health (Case Study: Jimeta, Adamawa State)
Friday Adejoh Ogwu
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola
Email: fridayogwu@mautech.edu.ng; fridayogwu@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
A good E-waste management and disposal method is one of the major problems many developing countries are facing nowadays. Most of these wastes are imported from developed countries in large quantities without considering its environmental and health implications. Major African cities such as Lagos in Nigeria and Accra in Ghana are now are the centers of E-waste trade in Africa. Some of these cities lack good methods of disposing even the municipal waste that are generated everyday in the cities. E-Wastes are dumped everywhere in the cities including backyards, open dumps and even on streets. Diseases, which are mostly caused by E-waste, are among the major causes of deaths in the world; E-waste mostly caused these diseases as a result of the toxic chemical and radioactive element it is composed of. For example chemicals such as mercury, lead and cadmium are very dangerous to human health and the environment. Some of these chemicals are responsible for the increase in cardiovascular, pulmonary and respiratory diseases. Environmentally, E-waste effects the environment by contaminating the soil and water, which can lead to the loss of biodiversity and marine habitats. It also releases pollutants (greenhouse gases), which disrupt the ozone layer and causes global warming. This paper investigates the impacts of E-waste on the environment and health of people in Jimeta, Adamawa state. The paper also categorizes the kinds of E-waste observed during data collection in the communities and identifies the hazardous substances they are composed of. It also accesses the knowledge of respondents living in the communities on E-waste and its effects. Lastly, the paper provides a list of economical and beneficial methods of E-waste management, which can be adapted by the community.
Key Words: E-waste, Environment, Health, Adamawa State.
