<p>There are two justifications for these bans. The first is somewhat controversial.</p><p>"[E-waste] contains toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and beryllium," notes Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, an NGO focused on toxic waste. The concern is that these substances could leach into the groundwater. "Lead can cause nervous system disorders, mental retardation, brain dysfunction, especially in children," he adds.</p><p>A growing number of environmental engineers, however, argue that the danger of contamination from electronic waste is small. The initial tests showing that a motherboard is prone to release its lead in a landfill were done in a laboratory using ground-up equipment submerged in acetic acid. Landfills, however, bear exceedingly little resemblance to a laboratory.</p><p>A 2008 study in Florida found that the increase in lead content of leachate that nasty liquid at the bottom of the landfill pile after adding electronic waste was statistically insignificant. In addition, modern landfills are reasonably efficient at removing lead from leachate.</p><p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/my-tivo-died-how-do-i-deal-with-the-e-waste/2013/07/22/0d0b87c2-ed5d-11e2-9008-61e94a7ea20d_story.html">Keep reading...</a></p>