More cell-phones than people posing threat to public

In Guatemala, computers, mobile phones, refrigerators, microwave ovens and other items accumulate in rivers and dumps causing danger to the health of public because of the toxic substances contained.

Chrome, mercury, lead, selenium and arsenic are some of the most toxic substances in e-waste, which can cause serious damages to health, As a result causing serious health problems such as brain damage, cancer, miscarriages, reduced male fertility and genetic malformations in foetuses.

"And all of these metals end up in the water sooner or later," because they seep into groundwater or because e-waste is dumped into surface water bodies like rivers, said España, whose organisation collects e-waste to be recycled abroad. 

Water is the big environmental buffer. It is also a finite resource on a global level, which means it will become scarce," he said.

Engineers call for the formulation of e-waste management plans to curb the threat.