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Keeping E Waste at bay

In a swift move, China has clamped down on toxic electronic waste exports from the US. Environmental groups Basel Action Network (Ban) and Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition of the US and Delhi-based Toxics Link had earlier this year jointly brought out a report stating that as much as 80 per cent of electronic waste from the US was being shipped to Asia (see Down To Earth, Vol 10, No 21, March 31, 2002). China has announced curbs on the import of e-waste after the report sparked off an outcry in the country's press.

The list of restricted items will include television sets, computers, photostat machines, video cameras and telephones, according to a statement from the Chinese State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). To prevent China from becoming a dumping ground for electronic junk, the local police will step up their vigil to check "the smuggling of dangerous wastes', SEPA said.

It has been revealed in the Chinese media that children are being employed to smash up computers, and local water supplies are being poisoned by toxic waste. Visitors to villages near Guiyu town in Guangdong province have witnessed how printed circuit boards and other junk are "cooked' over open fires to extract precious metals.

Though the new measure does not amount to a complete ban

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