Batteries and accumulators are considered hazardous waste. They are made up of various chemicals that allow them to work through reactions. Some of these substances, such as nickel and cadmium, are highly toxic and can harm people and the environment.
In particular, they can infect water, soil and damage wildlife. Cadmium can harm microorganisms and negatively affect the decomposition of organic matter. It can also accumulate in fish, which reduces the amount and makes it unfit for human consumption.
In addition, batteries contain alkaline and acidic components, heavy metals (mercury, lithium, lead, zinc, cobalt).
Which batteries are more dangerous - disposable or rechargeable?
The household uses both disposable and rechargeable batteries.
Batteries are used in mobile devices, laptops, computers, digital video cameras, cameras. They contain environmentally hazardous nickel and cadmium compounds, nickel hydride and lithium.
Disposable batteries are used in flashlights, toys, smoke detectors, wall clocks, calculators, radios, and remote controls. These are alkaline batteries in which a chemical reaction turns into an electrical one. They contain zinc and manganese. Disposable batteries are less harmful than rechargeable batteries, but they are more often thrown away and waste more waste.
What happens to used batteries and accumulators
When thrown away with the rest of the trash, batteries and accumulators end up in landfills. Their toxic components penetrate into water and soil, pollute lakes and streams, making the water unsuitable for drinking, fishing and swimming. If rain falls over the site of such a dump, toxic substances will penetrate deeper into the soil along with the rainwater. They are more likely to end up in groundwater.
Some of the chemicals in batteries and accumulators can react with other debris to form highly hazardous compounds.
In some cases, toxic substances can cause serious harm to humans, animals and plants. For example, this happens when a small amount of waste is constantly thrown into the same place, or when a large amount of toxic waste is thrown out at one time.
Humans and animals can be exposed to harmful components through inhalation, ingestion and skin contact. For example, a person may inhale the fumes of contaminated water while taking a shower. He can also eat foods contaminated with toxic substances. The most common type of poisoning of the human body with toxic substances occurs due to contaminated drinking water. If a toxic substance gets on the skin of a person, infection also occurs.
The health effects of such exposure can range from skin burns from a leaking alkaline battery to chronic illness.
With constant exposure to toxic substances, diseases such as cancer, liver failure, and delayed development and growth in children can develop. The danger from toxic substances also lies in the fact that some of them accumulate in the body, manifesting themselves not immediately. When their number reaches a critical level, serious health problems arise.
