U.S. companies are still exporting harmful electronic waste and the Environmental Protection Agency is doing little to stop it, according to the Government Accountability Office. On Wednesday, GAO officials testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment.
In January 2007 a rule took effect that required U.S. companies to notify the EPA before exporting cathode ray tubes to foreign countries. CRTs are harmful to humans and the environment because they contain lead, a known toxin.
Dismantling of these used products is done mostly in Asian countries and not properly regulated, resulting in open-air burning of wires to retrieve copper and immersion in acid baths to separate metals. These practices expose people to lead and other hazardous materials.
Breaking the Rule
GAO officials testified that a growing international trade in used electronic parts has emerged mostly in developing countries. As this trade increases -- especially in China and India -- recycling is not done responsibly and U.S. and other countries may be at fault.
"In many cases they do wind up in the hands of exporters and the economics are such that it is a lot cheaper to get rid of them through the export market, and a lot of money can be made by exporters to buyers in countries like China," said Steve Elstein, assistant director at the GAO, in a phone interview.
While posing as fictitious buyers, GAO investigators found dozens of companies offering to break the EPA's CRT rule. These companies were in Missouri, Colorado, New Jersey, and Washington state. The GAO found brokers in developing countries made 230 requests for CRTs, totaling 7.5 million units.
Forty-three companies were found breaking the EPA's rule, according to the GAO. Several are the same companies hosting recycling events and whose Web sites say products are recycled in the...

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