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The Hidden Life Of...

Your Television

By Matt Weiser

We’ve all heard that TV rots your brain. Most of us keep watching anyway. But what is television doing to our environment?

Each picture tube contains four to eight pounds of lead, depending on the size of the set. While this protects viewers from harmful X rays, lead mining pollutes creeks, poisons fish, and ravages landscapes—and that’s just to get the metal out of the ground. According to the EPA, consumer-electronic products account for 40 percent of the lead in landfills. After being dumped, that lead can leach into soil and water. Exposure has been linked to juvenile retardation, hearing impairment, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer. TVs also contain other toxic substances: The EPA estimates that electronic devices are now the largest single source of heavy metals—including mercury, barium, and cadmium—in the municipal waste stream.

To keep TVs out of landfills and divert them to recyclers, where potentially dangerous components like leaded glass can be separated and reused, California and Massachusetts recently classified them as hazardous waste. (The Electronic Industries Alliance lists television recycling locations nationwide at www.eiae.org.) The EPA is considering similar rules. But not all recycling is done right. A recent report by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (www.svtc.org) and the Basel Action Network (www.ban.org) indicates that more than 50 percent of electronic waste collected for recycling is processed in developing countries, under largely unregulated conditions. The report documented open burning of plastics and wires, river dumping, and other environmental and health dangers, leading the groups to call for a ban on the export of all hazardous wastes.

TVs are one of the Biggest power hogs in most homes, eating more electricity annually than microwave ovens and three times more than dishwashers. Worse yet, TVs top the list of "standby" consumers, appliances that suck electricity even when switched off. (About half of all energy used by stereo systems, VCRs, and television sets is devoted to standby mode.) America’s televisions draw enough standby power each year to light 5 million homes. Generating this power creates 1 million tons of carbon emissions. Save energy by unplugging the set or turning off the power strip when you’re not channel surfing.

More than 43 million U.S. households have three or more television sets. To minimize their environmental impact, you can consolidate devices: There are now computer monitors with built-in TV tuners, or expansion modules that allow desktop computers to function as televisions. If you must buy a new TV, choose one bearing the EPA’s "Energy Star" label, which will consume up to 75 percent less energy in standby mode. Smaller sets also sacrifice fewer raw materials. A flat-panel TV has no glass picture tube and, therefore, no lead (though it still contains mercury and other toxic substances). Finally, consider delaying your purchase: Federal law mandates an industrywide switch to high-definition television in 2006. If your new set’s not HDTV-compatible, you’ll have to buy an accessory to convert the digital signal, or send your old set to the TV graveyard.

Even one TV promotes overconsumption through ceaseless advertising—an average of 16 minutes and 8 seconds during each prime-time hour, up from 9 minutes, 38 seconds a decade ago. A child typically sees a minimum of 20,000 commercials every year and begins to express brand loyalty by age two. It’s no wonder spending influenced by children has more than doubled in each of the last three decades.

Ready to give the boob tube the boot? Activist groups like the Center for a New American Dream (www.newdream.org/campaign/kids), Adbusters (www.adbusters.org/campaigns/tvturnoff), and the TV-Turnoff Network (www.tvfa.org) offer plenty of tips for breaking the TV habit. You might even reap some unexpected benefits. As Groucho Marx once said, "I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on I go to the library and read a book."

Matt Weiser is a freelance writer in Southern California.