Games console makers playing dirty, Greenpeace says

Tag : chlorinated pvc
Even with recent improvements, the use of hazardous chemicals andmaterials in the products continues to be widespread, Greenpeacesays in a report.
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have together sold more than 60million game consoles, and sales are growing by 14 per centannually.
Of these three industry giants, environmental pressure groupGreenpeace says Microsoft had made a commitment to eliminate theuse of chlorinated plastic polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs) and BFRs(brominated flame retardants) from its hardware by 2010.
Sony is also committed to phase out PVCs and certain uses of BFRsby 2010, although only for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) and notthe PS3.
Nintendo very recently committed to eliminate PVC from itsproducts, but has not given a timeline.
Greenpeace analysed a PlayStation 3, a Wii and an Xbox 360 Elitefor its 23-page report, Playing Dirty.
The consoles, purchased in Europe last November, all containedcertain toxic or undesirable chemicals, materials such as PVC,beryllium and bromine, indicative of BFRs.
"Brominated flame retardants do not break down easily andbuild up in the environment," the report says. "Long-termexposure can lead to impaired learning and memory functions."
Greenpeace says it is concerned that there is no safe way todispose of old consoles and has called on games console makers tointroduce return and recycle policies. The report also mentionsthat after the console is superseded it continues to be a toxicmenace by contaminating developing countries, where the outdatedconsoles are sent.
"Game consoles are often dumped and end up in unsafe and dirtyrecycling yards in developing countries, where toxic contents harmboth the environment and the health of workers," the reportsays. Greenpeace says the results indicate that, in each case, themanufacturers have reduced, or even avoided, uses of individualhazardous substances in specific components. For example, in theNintendo Wii, beryllium alloys were not identified in electricalcontacts and there was lower use of PVC and phthalates in materialstested.
Sony's PS3 included examples of bromine-free PWBs and Microsoft'sXbox 360 showed lower use of brominated materials in the materialstested.
Greenpeace reports that the study includes as wide a range ofcomponents and materials as possible in the various analyses, butthe testing was limited in scope to specific samples.
The study finds many similarities between the types and amounts ofhazardous chemicals and materials in the components tested from thegames consoles and those reported in equivalent materials tested ina related study of laptop computers.
In both studies, the use of brominated materials was found to bewidespread and many of the flexible materials tested (wire andcable coatings) contained PVC.
The environmental group has called on all technology firms to takeimmediate action to eliminate toxic chemicals from products.
Greenpeace says the technology is already available somanufacturers can design out harmful toxics and produce cleanergame consoles.
The organisation emphasises that it is time for not only Nintendo,Sony and Microsoft, but all electronics manufacturers, to playfair.
"A greener, cleaner games console is possible,"Greenpeace said. "There's no excuse for playing dirty."