Electronic waste sent to PHL includes toxic elements that leak into soil, water — EMB

The electronic waste that had been shipped to the Philippines from Hong Kong has toxic elements that can leak into the soil and nearby waters, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said.

According to a report by Jun Veneracion on 24 Oras on Monday, the container's worth of garbage, which had been found abandoned at the Mindanao Container Terminal last week, includes discarded items containing toxic elements that could be detrimental to people's health.

Geri Sañez, chief of the Hazardous Waste Management Section of the DENR's Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), said that these toxic chemicals include arsenic, which may cause gastrointestinal disorders; cadmium, which affects liver and kidney functions; lead and mercury, which attack the central nervous system; and dioxins and furans, toxic byproducts of chemical production that can cause birth defects.

"With the natural processes, with the exposure, 'yung mga toxic components n'ya, it will contaminate the soil, it will contaminate the water,” he said.

The Bureau of Customs said that it will not think twice about returning the container of trash to Hong Kong. "Bakit natin poproblemahin ang disposal n'yan dito sa ating bansa?” said BOC spokesperson Dino Austria in a report by Jun Veneracion on 24 Oras. “Ipadala 'yan, balik sa country of origin at the expense dapat ng shipper."

"People will be punished for this to the full extent of the law. 'Yan ang magiging consequence sa nangyayaring ito," he added. — BM, GMA News