Group warns police: Don’t smash gambling machines

AN environmental watch group on toxic chemicals in products and wastes cautioned the Cebu City police against smashing confiscated video karera TVs and other electronic gambling devices.

The safety warning from the Quezon Citybased EcoWaste Coalition followed the destruction last Monday of at least 102 video karera TVs and “moli-moli” slot machines using axes and sledgehammers at the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) with top regional and city police officials in attendance.

While lauding the local police for their cam- paign against illegal gambling activities, the group expressed concern over the unsafe manner of manually destroying the gaming machines, notably the TV sets, which contain large quantities of hazardous substances.

Reuse

“We understand that the confiscated TV sets are destroyed for good to prevent their reuse for illegal gambling activities, but this should not be in a manner that will scatter the lead and their other hazardous substances, which can endanger human health and the environment,” stated Thony Dizon, coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

Public health

Old analog TV units that are often used in illegal gambling business contain huge amounts of hazardous substances, such as lead, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper and mercury, and flame retardant chemicals.

Cadmium, lead and mercury belong to “top 10 chemicals of major public health concern,” according to the World Health Organization.

Citing information from the report “Poison PCs and Toxic TVs,” each computer or television display contains an average of 4 to 8 pounds of lead (with the) monitor glass contain(ing) about 20 percent lead by weight.”

“When these components are illegally disposed and crushed in landfills, the lead is released into the environment, posing a hazardous legacy for current and future generations… These heavy metals and other hazardous substances found in electronics can contaminate groundwater and pose other environmental and public health risks,” the report said. (PR)