Abstract
Electric appliances utilize many toxic elements. They can be legally disposed in a dumping ground. In the case of electric appliances thrown away as a waste, it has not been clear which toxic element in electric appliances would be more eluted under a specified condition. The study of elution behavior of toxic elements in electric appliances under various conditions in of primary importance to understand its effect on the environment. In this work, weight percentages of toxic elements in electric appliances were estimated, and the elution of toxic elements in their components was investigated under conditions of three kinds of pseudo-environments (pure water, salt solution and acid solution). The elution concentration of Pb was the largest among all eluted elements under each condition, and it was especially large under the acid solution. It is probable that Pb elutes to a certain extent from solder and components such as CRT glass under an acidic rain for a long period. It is desirable to establish immediate and concrete techniques for the prevention of the elution of Pb, for instance, the recycling of Pb, the coating on the printed circuit board by an appropriate substance free from toxic elements, the reduction in amount of solder, and the recovery of CRT glass etc.. The elution of Zn, Cu and Sb was also observed, but the elution quantity was not so large as that of Pb.
