E-Waste Flows and Toxicity

AI E-Waste Destination
Shellfish Toxicity
Site2025 Scrap ShareShellfish Tox. (×FAO)
Agbogbloshie (Ghana)71%2.6×
Gadani (Pakistan)68%2.2×
Batam (Indonesia)74%3.1×
Ciliwung River (ID)2.7×

Health Impacts

Blood Heavy Metals
Child Health Outcomes
Metric2025 Value
Mercury (children, Ghana)+2.1× WHO limit
Lead (workers, Batam)+2.7× WHO limit
Thyroid/respiratory/cancer clusters↑ (all sites)
Endocrine/neurological disorders (Lagos/Accra)+31%
Life expectancy loss (e-waste zones)-4.2 yrs

Legal Gaps and Regulatory Arbitrage

Scrap vs. Reuse Claims
Enforcement Action Rate
Port/Region“Functional” Scrap (%)Enforcement Rate (%)
West Africa70%2.5%
South Asia65%2.0%
SE Asia72%1.8%

ESG, Disclosure and Capital Cost

ESG Score Distortion
Cost of Capital Penalty
FirmESG Score (2025)Water/Toxicity Disclosure
Amazon8.3/10No
Baidu8.0/10No
Google8.5/10No
ESG penalty (green bond)+22%
Data: WHO, FAO, UNEP, S&P, Basel Convention, peer-reviewed studies, memory[1][2], June 2025.

Global South Burden and Regulatory Arbitrage