Health Effects of Hazardous Chemicals from Old Electronics

Health Effects of Hazardous Chemicals from Old Electronics What are the effects on human health of hazardous chemicals from obsolete electronic products? With the rapid advancements in technology and engineering of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the ‘waste mountain’ of obsolete electrical products appears to be growing at an alarming rate. This essay evaluates five Internet-available resources which directly address the title in an attempt to assess the level of evidence available on the subject. The first resource to be considered is the Greenpeace webpage ‘Eliminate Toxic Chemicals’ (Greenpeace, 2007), which highlights the negative impact that electronic equipment has on the environment, particularly in relation to toxic chemicals involved in the manufacturing process. It gives companies a ‘green ranking’ which one can assume is to allow the individual consumer to make informed choice about their buying options. It also highlights the fact that there are two environmental dangers from the rapid obsolescence of today’s products – the damage caused by manufacturing, and the damage to the environment of the large amounts of waste products being disposed of. As a resource, it directly informs the topic and provides plenty of information about the issue. In terms of reliability, Greenpeace has a mixed reputation of activism and credibility, and given that many of the electronics companies themselves are listed on the site, this may add cre dibility. It may, however, simply be another marketing ploy, given that environmental issues have become the latest commercially manipulated topic to fall victim to the capitalist bandwagon. The resource seems up to date, with reports filed in June 2007. There are no authors cited, and little reference to scientific evidence in these pages themselves. However, the website is highly accessible, easy to read and easy to navigate. In criticism, the notion of the environmental impact of this issue is presented as a given, a fait accompli, with little or no critical debate on the issue. The second resource is the article by Hischier et al (2005) on waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling. The authority of the authors is established on two fronts. The first is that this is published in a peer reviewed journal, and the second is that the authors’ affiliations to a Technology institute are given. The approach is scientifically credible, but the article remains readable, giving a good literature review, and a clear discussion of two Swiss take back and recycling systems with scientific analyses (Hischier et al, 2005). However, it does require a degree of technological and scientific knowledge to read the tables and results. It is reasonably up to date, having been written and published in 2004-2005. It highlights the issues related to recycling of these products, and concludes that the proposed systems would have clear environmental advantages (Hischier et al, 2005). It also notes some of the limitations and the need for ongoing assessment of such sys tems. The third resource is an article by Poole and Simon (1997) on technological trends, product design and the environment. It is readable, accessible and easy to follow, but it’s greatest drawback is its age. However, it does demonstrate that the environmental impact of these technologies has been anticipated in the scientific literature. The authors are from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University, which suggests a degree of authority in addressing the subject. They demonstrate means by which products can undergo lifecycle analysis, and suggest that reducing environmental impact may come in the guise of smaller, mobile technologies (Poole and Simon, 1997). This would indeed perhaps reduce the waste volume of obsolete computational electronics, but not necessarily the environmental impact associated with the manufacturing processes of up to date products, or the challenges of recycling the materials used in original manufacture. Focusing on design trends, however, seems a positive approach in terms of longer term management of environmental insult. The fourth resource is an article by Tanskanen and Takala (2006) which looks at a simplified model for an end of life process for mobile terminals. The authority of the authors may be questionable, given that they work for Nokia. On the one hand, this may suggest considerable knowledge and acumen of the subject; on the other, a degree of bias is inevitable given their affiliation. The publication of this in a reputable journal however does offset some of the possible bias, and it is up to date. It is accessible, but considerable specialist terminology is used which affects readability. The focus on efficacy and effectiveness in recycling processes and the need for further development is clear, showing that there is a potential to reduce environmental impact but the necessity for appropriate processes to achieve this (Tanskanen and Takala, 2006). The fifth resource is by Macauley et al (2003), which is a little more dated but still within the last four years. The authors are affiliated to an environmentally focused company, and so their authority in terms of scientific or technological acumen is harder to establish. Again, the article is published in a reputable journal, is readable and in this case, easy to follow with logical discussions and some use of relevant literature. They examine the cost of computer monitor waste management in terms of environmental and health impacts of components, and cost of recycling or waste management policies (Macauley et al, 2003). There are considerable costs here, and this article demonstrates some elements of the economic minefield which characterises this debate. The authors clearly highlight the need to target research in the areas described, perhaps to lend further weight to environmentally-conscious policies of recycling and waste management (Macauley et al, 2003). These resources have demonstrated some of the dimensions of the debate on this subject. All the resources assume and demonstrate that there is an environmental (and a general health) impact of electrical and electronics waste in the light of rapid obsolescence and increasing demand for these products. While ways in which to address this are suggested, no clear resolutions are apparent, and economic and practical concerns remain a barrier to implementation of environmentally sensitive recycling policies. References Greenpeace (2007) Eliminate Toxic Chemicals http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics Accessed 508-07. Hischier, R., Wager, P. and Gauglhofer, J. (2005) Does WEEE recycling make sense from an environmental perspective? The environmental impacts of the Swiss take-back and recycling systems for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Environmental Impact Assessment Review 25 525-539. Macauley, M., Palmer, K. and Shih, J-S. (2003) Dealing with electronic waste: modelling the costs and environmental benefits of computer monitor disposal. Journal of Environmental Management 68 13-22. Poole, S. and Simon, M. (1997) Technological trends, product design and the environment. Design Studies 18 237-248. Tanskanen, P. and Takala, R. (2006) A decomposition of the end of life process. Journal of Cleaner Production 14 1326-1332.

Characterization: Curley’s Wife in Of Mice And Men Essay

With colorful statements like â€Å"She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers† (John Steinbeck, 31), Curley’s wife is one of the more vividly portrayed characters in Of Mice and Men. Although Steinbeck leaves almost nothing to the imagination about this woman, he chooses to consistently refer to her as ‘Curley’s Wife’ rather than giving her a name or a nickname like he has done with most of the other characters. Through indirect and direct characterization the reader discovers that this woman was not simply a ticket to trouble like the workers on her father-in-law’s ranch believed, but a girl stuck in a life where she didn’t belong. Curley’s wife, who was incredibly lonely, was always ‘heavily made up’ even when she lived on the ranch where George and Lennie worked. Although generally she was thought of as a floozy, her talk with Lennie revealed that she was used to the high life. When her parents forbade her to go into the acting business, as she so wished, she married Curley, the first man who offered her something other than stardom, in order to get away from her overbearing family (Steinbeck, 88). Although because of this decision she was forced to spend her life on a ranch full of underclass workers, she still liked to make herself up to constantly remind herself that she had had the potential to be something better. To her, dressing up and flaunting her stuff was a symbol of status, something to set her apart from the rest of the lower class, which, even today, is not much different. Fashion magazines, television, and the general media still lead the public to believe that style directly connects to the amount of wealth or power someone has. When fashion trends change by the minute, it is generally thought that everything from wealth to sophistication is shown when someone is able to keep up with them (Appendix A). Curley’s wife considered always looking presentable as a constant reminder that she had once been considered good enough to go into the movie business and could have been something much better than the boss’s son’s wife. Another reason Curley’s wife was constantly made up and wondering around the ranch was that she was lonely. With Curley always gone and having nothing in common with her, she had no one to keep her company and was forced to look for attention among the workers, who had long since learned to keep away from the boss’s daughter-in-law. â€Å"‘Funny thing,’ she said. ‘If I catch any one man, and he’s alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an’ you won’t talk. Jus’ nothing but mad'† (Steinbeck, 77). Although Curley was very over-protective of his wife, he didn’t tend to her needs so she moseyed around looking for something to do or someone to talk to during the day. And even though all she wanted was the attention Curley didn’t give her, the men in the ranch knew that talking to her would only lead to trouble. â€Å"Well, I aint giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick around the house alla time?'† Curley’s wife had all the spare time in the world, and spends it making herself look as good as she can (Appendix B) and flaunts her body to anyone who will look. She desperately seeks attention and acknowledgment that she’s still got the looks that attracted all sorts of men to her before. Steinbeck chose not to give Curley’s wife a real name because she was never able to make a name for herself; she was forced into a life where she was confined and unable to pursue her real dreams. She obviously wasn’t happy with her life living inside Curley’s ranch; she wasn’t meant to be the typical woman of that time who stays at home doing the cooking and cleaning for her husband. â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Well, a show came through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’ let me. She says because I was on’y fifteen'†(Steinbeck, 88). Curley’s wife desperately tries to show Lennie that she was better than this ranch; that she wasn’t common like the rest of the people there and that it was by fault that she was living where she was now. She needed to leave that ranch and pursue her dreams now that she was old enough to make her own decisions. She needed a ticket out of that city so she could go to Hollywood and make a name for herself (Appendix C). Although Curly’s wife’s character was portrayed completely by John Steinbeck, she was never given a full name because her character isn’t full. She was missing something; she wasn’t in her rightful place. Curley’s wife wasn’t meant to live her life on the ranch, and her character wasn’t completed because of it. Steinbeck showed this the only tangible way he could, with the lack of a name for her. She wasn’t like the rest of the people on the ranch, with a name or nickname; she was referred to as ‘Curley’s Wife’. She stood out by the fact that she was the only woman on the ranch, she was the only one who dressed to impress, and she was the only person without a full name. She didn’t belong and even if she had lived she never would.

Analysis of Arthur Miller’s Presentation of Abigail Essay

Arthur Miller wrote the play â€Å"The Crucible† in 1953 which was in the middle of the McCarthy political ‘witch-hunt’ in America. However the story had appealed to the playwright for many years, therefore ‘The Crucible’ can be described as a political parable as it was inspired by the decade of McCarthyism. Miller wrote the play set in an area of Massachusetts called Salem in 1692 where some adolescent girls were dabbling with supernatural powers and witchcraft. They were eventually jailed and the jails were filled with men and women accused of witchcraft. Ultimately twenty people ended up hung. The inhabitants of Salem were rigid in their interpretation of the Bible, believing in witches and the Devil. They believed also that the Bible instructed them that witches must be hanged. This relates to the McCarthy trails that were happening in the USA during the 1950s as the trails were about the admission of adherence to communism, consequently witnesses were brought before the committee to name names. This naming approach was very similar to the process of witch trials; Miller then began to relate this to the public confessions as parallel with the naming of names at Salem in 1692. Subsequently Arthur Miller wrote a play in relation to this and uses Abigail to convey similar ideas to the McCarthy Trials in the 1950s. In the McCarthy trails the only way to clear your name was to name members of the extremist party, but even still a person’s reputation would be extremely tarnished. Therefore I will be looking at the presentation of Abigail and how it conveys this idea, in relation to the McCarthy Trials. During the beginning of Act One we discover Abigail is a girl who can’t be trusted and people don’t believe her. Paris refers to her as a ‘child’ so she is assumed as being young and questioned over how she can make up so many lies. From being referred to as a ‘child’ the audience makes an assumption that Abigail acts younger than her age and there is immense significance of this quote as she is referred to as a ‘child’ more than once and by different characters. Abigail has endless capacity for dissembling so she is a brilliant liar and doesn’t know when to stop. Her lies in this particular scene appear not to be very convincing as she is worried and anxious; hence she is lying for a way out. From this Abigail could be presented to be small and weak as she is forced to sit in a chair while Parris towers over her and doesn’t take any action of rejection. Parris is threatening Abigail to tell the truth as she is a compulsive liar; consequently it is extremely hard to get her to tell the truth. Our impression of Abigail develops later on in Act One as she loses her innocence since she becomes no longer believable to the audience, her lies are over looked by them as they realise she is withholding the truth. When Proctor enters Abigail starts to become nervous which is highlighted from her reaction whilst she is alone with him and he says ‘Ah, your wicked yet, aren’t y’! ‘ Abigail reacts with a nervous ‘laughter’ and becomes frightened of Proctor. Consequently Proctor acts powerful and continues to act powerful and dominant towards Abigail by forcefully saying ‘child’ to Abigail to give recognition of her still being a child, this is the second time that Abigail has been called a ‘child’ by different characters highlighting the importance. While Abigail does react angrily and infuriately to appear powerful and gain control over Proctor, her reactions are childish, she moans when she doesn’t get her own way, so she acts like a little ‘child’ which is why she is being called a ‘child’. This part of the play is foreshadowing events to come, we know that she is going to eventually turn wicked and evil so her innocence is lost as we realise that she will later turn wicked as the wickedness can be used as a way out. When Abigail is alone with the girls she takes control of them and becomes the leader of the group and the girls begin to look to her for an answer so they look up to her. They follow her lead so she has the power of the group. She gains this power of the girls by saying ‘I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. ‘ Abigail threatens the other girls so they are so frightened of her that they follow her lead, this becomes clear nearing the end of Act Three. The word ‘shudder’ is onomatopoeia and this adds dramatic affect and gives you a real sense of the word and makes it come to life and sound real. It is this word order which Miller uses that makes you really think that this is going to happen if the other girls do not obey her. The adjectives used during this statement from Abigail are ‘black’ then ‘terrible’ and ‘pointy’ these are all threatening adjectives and are the type of words that you would visualize when a murder was taking place so this intensifies their anxiety. During this scene the audience discover just how devious and manipulative she can be, in this instance she shows this by being threatening and dangerous to the other girls. Danger changes sides towards the end of Act One during Abigail’s questioning as she starts to become frantic. She begins rushing out excuses as quickly as possible to conceal her lies, as she comes dangerous close to being exposed. Abigail is scared of the fact that if people don’t believe her, then she will be caught in the act of lying, she is anxious about this. Furthermore Hale says ‘perhaps some bird invisible to others comes to you’ thus implying an insight to the deviousness of Abigail. This provides inspiration later for Act Four; therefore implying Abigail is not innocent and is an untrustworthy character with a deeper meaning, perhaps Abigail is lying. Abigail proceeds out of this situation by catching on to the circumstances there are in hand and uses them as weapons to propose the excuse of making herself look like the victim in this entirety. Consequently people can’t accuse her, which because of her selfish behaviour leads her on to accusing Tituba by saying ‘She makes me drink blood! ‘ This describes Abigail’s destructive nature and the deviousness of Abigail’s thinking put into practice. From this I can call Abigail opportunistic as she has seen a way out; she has explored it and taken it. While this is selfish behaviour, it is certainly a very clever move by Abigail to relieve some of the pressure from her and give her a chance to think about what she is going to say next. The audiences’ response from this action taken by Abigail is that it is ludicrous that she can accuse somebody and say a few words and make the court believe her. This links in with the McCarthy trials because all the court was interested in was names and they were so desperate for a name that once one was named with a motive they seized it.

Okonkwo in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay

Okonkwo in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Okonkwo, as presented by Chinua Achebe in the novel Things Fall Apart, wished to be revered by all as a man of great wealth, power and control--the antithesis of his father. Okonkwo was driven by the need to exhibit utmost control over himself and others; he was an obsessive and insecure man. Okonkwos father, Unoka, was a failure, a loafer, and People laughed at him (1426). This would bring great shame to any man as it did for Okonkwo. In Umuofia a man is judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father (1427). In Umuofia achievement was revered. Okonkwo became obsessed with the need to prove to everyone that he, unlike his father, was a man†¦show more content†¦While Okonkwo could be sensitive and caring, his obsession with control would not allow him to show it. Enzima, whom he was especially fond of (1441), became ill and was taken to the cave by Chielo. Ekwefi followed Chielo and the girl from a distance as she feared for her daughters life. Okonkwo seemed to be unconcerned: He had felt very anxious but did not show it. Unknown to Ekwefi, Okonkwo had made four trips to the cave before he found Ekwefi and by then had become gravely worried (1468). Okonkwo had waited to follow; he had allowed what he regarded as a reasonable and manly interval to pass before he went to the cave the first time (1468). To show his own fears and worries would show lack of control. When it was pronounced that Ikemefuna should be killed, Okonkwo not only went along with the other men, he also drew his machete and cut him [Ikemefuna] down. while Okonkwo was dazed with fear, it was because He was afraid of being thought weak (1448). This is an extreme example of Okonkwos need to show that he was a strong and controlled man. Only a powerful man could kill the boy that called, My father, they have killed me (1448). Things begin to fall apart when Okonkwo kills a young man and is exiled for seven years. Throughout the seven years, Okonkwo thinks only of his return to Umuofia and how he will rebuild his fame and fortune and how much he must have been misssed by his people. Upon his return,Show MoreRelated The Character of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart1602 Words   |  7 PagesThe Character of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart What makes a successful man? This, in itself, is a culture bound question because it can vary from culture to culture. However, in the perception of Okonkwo, the main character in Chinua Achebes novel, Things Fall Apart, the measure of a mans success is based on two elements, material acquisition and growth, and physical prowess. 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