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U.S. consumers are being cheated out of the chance to buy the greenest possible computers, according to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and other environmental groups that have joined forces on the Computer TakeBack Campaign.

The campaign's latest report card examined 28 computer manufacturers' practices regarding hazardous materials, worker health and safety, and systems for taking back used products. CTBC found that fewer relatively eco-friendly computers are offered for sale in the U.S. than in countries with stronger environmental regulations, such as Japan and European Union nations, which have worked to eliminate hazardous materials from electronics and required companies to start take-back programs for old computers. (California and Massachusetts have banned the landfilling of cathode ray tube [CRT] monitors and TVs because of their lead content, and California will add a recycling fee to the cost of new computers and televisions starting July 2004, but thus far there's been no federal action in the U.S. on these issues.)

A few weeks ago, the United Nations University released a 300-page report on the environmental impact of computers, from production through use and disposal. Not surprisingly, the authors concluded that reusing or upgrading a machine is better for the environment than buying a new one and recycling the old. The report also recommended that recycling incentives be increased for both consumers and producers and called for more study of the health impacts of computer manufacturing and disposal.

Toxins in computers include lead, brominated fire retardants (BFRs), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the heavy metals cadmium, chromium, and mercury. Manufacturing workers have suffered from hazardous exposures to some of these substances, including ethylene glycol ethers, which have been phased out of use because of links to miscarriages.

As 12 million PCs are landfilled annually in the U.S., such materials pose a threat to groundwater. And even machines that are kept out of the dump and sent to recycling centers aren't necessarily being handled responsibly: To save money, many recyclers ship computers to China, India, and Pakistan, where unprotected workers dismantle them and face health risks.

What to Do? What to Do?

SVTC is encouraging institutions that purchase large numbers of computers to press manufacturers for cleaner models. Ted Smith, executive director of SVTC, says, "We're working with Health Care Without Harm to come up with procurement guidelines [for hospitals]," and his group is involved in similar projects with government and university officials. "I think that institutional purchasing guidelines are where a lot of the pressure for change is going to come from," he says.

As for individuals, Smith recommends, "People should contact companies directly and ask them, 'Do you make machines that are lead-free, flame-retardant-free, mercury-free, PVC-free?' The more they hear from people, the more they will respond."