Let's face it; we live in a world that craves the newest, fastest technologies. Our insatiable appetite for the hottest trends can be compared to the coal that fueled the factories of the Industrial Revolution, and the multitude of electronic and electrical products that we purchase (cell phones, personal computers, flat screen televisions) are the pollution that resulted. In a recent report, the United Nations estimated the total amount of electronic waste, or e-waste, generated globally ranges between 20 million and 50 million tons per year, with 70% of that waste either illegally dumped or crudely processed in developing nations. E-waste contains more than 1,000 different substances, including lead, mercury and cadmium, and some environmental groups estimate that the United Nations' figures could triple by 2010. That is a substantial amount of toxins with the possibility of entering landfills, water sources and our bodies. But there are directives and regulations in force to address, to audit and to control the swelling stream of e-waste entering the environment. WEEE, RoHS and REACH are the three big names behind the movement, but what do these acronyms represent?
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