Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informal processing of electronic waste in developing countries may cause serious health and pollution which is called as E-pollution.

Causes of E-pollution-

Computers and entertainment centers and other electrical appliances convert the alternating current they are receiving to direct current which the equipment will use to power its activities using less electricity. In this process, high frequencies are produced that go out onto the electrical circuit and cause high-frequency electromagnetic waves to radiate out from the circuits. In other words, some of the high frequencies produced are radio wave and microwave frequencies that disseminate their energy through the air rather than follow the electrical circuits. Scientific Research has shown these "polluting" high frequency fields to have specific biological effects that are detrimental to the overall health of the individual.

Neighbors who might be tech-savvy and tech-enthusiasts might not be sharing their knowledge or equipment with you but they are sharing with you the generated high frequencies - which find it easier to flow into your home (and airspace) and pollute it, rather than return through the transformer and on to the substation via the grid.

Downstream effect: just as a river becomes more polluted downstream, so does the electrical power stream, which becomes more polluted the farther “downstream” it is from the substation. For example, each computer or entertainment center "upstream" contributes high frequencies to the overall electrical pollution of the grid downstream from it.

One of the sources of electrical pollution is the dimmer switch (it takes a lot of electrical energy and “dims” it - the excess “light” is converted to radio frequencies).

Another source is the energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb promoted by electrical companies for conserving electricity. In the process of conversion to lower wattage, high frequencies are generated.

High-intensity light bulbs, in the process of “compacting” their energy use, create high frequencies.