'Poisonous' US lagging on high-tech environmentalism

US high tech firms are not doing enough to protect their workforce or the environment from waste and hazardous materials, according to a study released by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC).

Six out of the nine US computer equipment manufacturers that went under the microscope got failing grades, including Dell and Gateway.

The SVTC, blamed differences in international regulations for double standards in the computer industry which enable the US to continue being remiss on such issues.

Japan and Europe are well ahead of the US in requiring companies to reduce their use of toxic materials, including lead and brominated flame retardants, and to encourage recycling of old computers.

The SVTC report said: "The findings illustrate once again that the US is behind in developing solutions to counteract the dirty side of the computer industry."

Activists yesterday staged a protest at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the tech industry's largest annual trade show. Campaigners displayed discarded computer monitors at the main entrance of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Some of the protesters were dressed as prison inmates to protest Dell's use of prison labour to recycle laptops and personal computers.

Dell, the top computer producer in the US, has a contract with UNICOR, which employs federal prisoners to recycle electronics, wash laundry and perform other tasks. SVTC said the prisoners involved in the Dell recycling program, which requires them to disassemble computers, are at high risk of being exposed to lead and other toxins.

A Dell representative said UNICOR meets the U.S. federal government's occupational safety and health administration standards and that the computer maker's contract with the group enables Dell to offer a convenient low-cost recycling option to consumers. Dell customers pay only shipping costs to have their equipment recycled.

Dell spokesman Brian Hilton said: "We're disappointed with the score we got and with the protest today. I think the key thing is we share the same end goal with SVTC, which is keeping computers out of the waste stream."

Alorie Gilbert writes for News.com