**2. Implications of computer-based wastes and energy-intensive computing**

#### **2.1 Computer-based wastes**

Ordinarily, computer-based wastes are often in the solid form as opposed to liquid and gaseous wastes from other sources (see **Figure 1**). Examples of such wastes include: Computers including PCs, high end server hardware, Telephones and smart phones, Network devices (routers, switches, gateways, radios, etc.), Chips, Base stations, Motherboards, Printers, Wireless devices, Fax and copiers, Cathode ray tubes and Monitors, and Transformers. However, due to the physicochemical complexity of the components that constitute these electronic products, the tendency to generate liquid and gas emissions are very high. Typically, materials used to produce computing hardware contain several reactive elements such as lead, silicon, silver, mercury, platinum, copper, cobalt, palladium, aluminum, cadmium, lithium, selenium, etc. According to a report by the environmental protection agency of the United States [23], while comparing the amount of certain elements contained in the e-wastes and that mined from raw ores indicated that it is estimated that the amount of gold in a ton of electronic circuit boards is 40–800 times more than that from the ore, and that the quantity of copper in one ton is 30–40 times more than the quantity of mined copper from a metric ton of raw ore. With these reactive elements in electronic dumps, the underlying health implications of these components are brought to bear.

**Figure 1.** *Computer-based e-wastes for sale in Ikeja Lagos Nigeria.*

It is interesting to note that computer-based wastes like other e-wastes contain toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium, plastic (polyvinyl chloride), and hazardous chemicals (e.g. brominated flame retardants) that are harmful to the health of individuals in particular and the environment generally. It has been observed that most of these wastes are shipped to developing countries for use and possible recycling [21, 42, 43]. These wastes produce gaseous emissions that pose health risks to the individuals within and around such e-wastes are dumped or recycled [42]. Having recognized the dangers associated with such wastes, countries such Nigeria has made necessary legislative provisions to guard against such hazardous or harmful wastes. Section 15 of the Harmful Wastes (Special Criminal Provisions etc.) Act, rightly provides that "harmful wastes depicts any injurious poisonous, toxic or noxious substance and, in particular, nuclear wastes emitting any radioactive substance … as to subject a person to the risk of death, fatal injury or incurable impairment of physical or mental health". The effect of this provision is that any waste whether or not electronic that could cause some harm is a harmful waste. There is no gainsaying that wastes from computing equipment could be hazardous enough to pollute the air, water, and soil. The contamination of these three environmental layers is akin to humankind intentionally creating a hazardous ecosystem antithetical to sustainable development and growth. These hazardous e-wastes could route toxic chemicals through the soil, air, water thereby providing the channel for generalized environmental degradation and pollution that promotes health anomalies and imbalances such as infections, respiratory stress, allergic reactions, visual impairment, poisoning, hematological problems, etc. (See **Table 1**). It has been reported that these wastes have strong nexus with adverse birth outcomes, thyroid dysfunction, behavioral changes, lung failure, and adverse cellular changes [30], Kidney failure, cancer, etc. **Table 1** shows some toxic metals and compounds from computer wastes and their health implications.

#### **2.2 Energy-intensive computing (EC)**

EC involves the deployment and utilization of energy-intensive computing equipment especially to drive socioeconomic activities. Data centres globally fall within the ranks of energy-intensive computing. They are not only common in developed countries but are also at the cornerstone of industry in developing countries. The intensive use of data centres and high capacity computing hardware are popular from the telecommunications subsector to banking and finance, manufacturing and production, agricultural and food processing, mining and extraction, and educational institutions. EC infrastructure popular in mission critical applications such as in manufacturing, production, mining, telecommunications, and the financial services subsectors. EC is a creator of both computer wastes and pollution. Despite


*Green Computing: A Machinery for Sustainable Development in the Post-Covid Era DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.95420*

#### **Table 1.**

*Some health implications of computer/ICT wastes.*

the economic importance of EC infrastructure in driving industrialization, they are noted as potential causes of greenhouse emissions (GHG), pollution, and agents of climate change [15–19]. The gases contribute to warmer climate can affect the ecosystems locally and globally [47]. For instance, extreme weather affects agricultural crop production and yield, livestock production, desertification, health challenges including epidemics, ocean acidification, heavy precipitation, flooding, food supply and security challenges, new diseases, and energy supply problems [27, 48, 49].
