National Hospital to recycle e-waste

by Carol Aloysius

All e-waste collected from wards and clinics of the National Hospital in Colombo will be handed over to the Central Environment Authority to mark the National Poisons Week commencing tomorrow.

"This will be a symbolic gesture on our part. Hopefully other government health institutions will follow suit", Director, National Poisons Unit, General Hospital Dr. Waruna Thilekerathne told the Sunday Observer. Although the Health Ministry had sent out a directive instructing government health institutions on safe disposal of e-waste in April this year, the Poisons Unit was the first to do so, he said.

The electronic waste will include condemned and unusable computers, DVDs, CFL bulbs and electronic equipment used in theatres. "These items are non degradable and contain heavy metal which have adverse health effects and carry carcinogenic diseases which disrupt the immune system, affect fertility and acts as endocrine disruptors. They also cause various hormonal problems, impact on foetus development and cause renal problems", he said.

An islandwide education program will be held for health professionals and the public in all hospitals apart from a Public Health Education Exhibition on to poisons on October 30. "We hope to target G.C.E. A/L Students who wish to do assignments on toxicity with technical know how and information", he said. An important segment of the Week will be an awareness program to induce the farming community to dispose of agro chemical containers and despatch them for recycling. " We have selected four districts - Jaffna, Batticaloa, Moneragala and Polonnaruwa and the e-waste collected will be sent to the main centre in Galle", he said.

The WHO, Health Ministry and NHSL Director would help upgrade the Poisons Unit, the oldest South Asian centre to disseminate information to the public and health professionals on poisons.