Young people today have more health problems than those in past generations. Health programs that centre on the prevention and cure of such problems have been established to help them. Research has found that young people usually have health problems because of three reasons: lack of awareness, lack of knowledge and no treatment. Lack of awareness is not knowing what is harmful to their health; lack of knowledge is not knowing what to do and where to go to seek treatment; and lack of treatment would mean not being able to find a cure for an illness which will compound later on, thus causing more complications.
There are three kinds of illness for young men and women: sexual illness; mental illness and physical illness. Our focus is on physical illness because it seems our way of life today has become a major reason for the increase of the number of people experiencing such problems.
The rapid industrialisation of businesses has resulted in the rise of chemical waste everywhere, even in urban areas. Cities are no longer safe because of the impact these hazardous wastes have on our health. The use of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) from our household items and appliances such as those of discarded light bulbs, fridge freezers, chemical contaminants and others that contain waste from equipment at home are also just as harmful.
It is important that we understand the danger that these things entail. This is the only way for us to open our eyes to what is really going on and perhaps through this, we can be more cautious about our actions.
Many of the chemical wastes from WEEE fall into two categories: hazardous and non-hazardous. Some of those under the hazardous category are very detrimental to our health, especially for young people who are often the ones exposed to such danger.
• Lead from batteries: Dusts and fumes can cause eye, nose and throat irritation. It can also lead to weight loss, cramps, nausea, and stomach pains. But more serious effects are kidney problems, anaemia and brain damage. It is fatal to unborn babies. It can cause infertility, memory loss and high blood pressure.
• Mercury from fluorescent lights: It can also cause eyes and skin irritation, coughing and apnea. More serious effects are kidney damage, tremors, memory loss, weight loss, and even psychosis.
• Cadmium from batteries: It can cause headaches, body aches, flu symptoms and fever. It also has the tendency to cause diarrhoea, apnea and lung irritation. More serious side effects kidney and prostate cancer, bronchitis, apnea and kidney damage.
The implementation of weee compliance has truly helped lessen the number of individuals who are exposed to chemical waste. Organisations such as WeeeCare are always ready to offer services for the proper disposal and recycling of WEEE such as batteries, fridge freezers, chemical substances and others found in such products. Moreover, as a company that has been in operation for the last 3 decades, WasteCare is an expert in terms of proper chemical waste disposal by collecting and treating these wastes. They have 11 sites and a hundred vehicles that will efficiently convey hazardous chemical waste from your location to their treatment facility.
Weee compliance is truly vital to help people stay free and safe from certain health problems. It should be a joint effort amongst industries and the people to make sure chemical wastes are disposed of properly. We should all be aware of the consequences if we do not act responsibly towards such issues. If we can do this consistently, then we are providing a better environment for ourselves and our loved ones.