Abuja — Senate yesterday urged relevant agencies of the Federal Government to urgently take step to regulate the influx of obsolete e-products that are hazardous to health and environment.

The Upper House also urged that the agencies, including the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) should map out means of disposing e-waste in Nigeria.

The resolutions were consequent upon a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Senator Grace Bent (Adamawa South) and thirteen others.

Bent, who moved the motion said, "that currently there are no manufacturing year limits on the imported second hand electronic devices into Nigeria and that this regulatory discrepancy is further aggravated by the lack of adequate legislation to protect and inform the Nigerian consumer, ensure value for money and safeguard the health of ignorant citizens who dismantle these dangerous articles

"That with no safety measures in place, available evidence based on scientific studies shows that these metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium can accumulate in human beings exposed to them and in the environment thus endangering even the life of future generations," she said.

She stated further that, "Mercury damages the brain, lead can lead to a breakdown of the nervous system and damage the reproductive systems while cadmium causes kidney damage."

According to her, "Most second hand electronic goods such as television sets, computer mainframes and screens, refrigerators, air-conditioning units and scientific devices which are obsolete both in design, operating software and utilise analog systems to process and archive data, have been described as 'dangerous toxic waste' and that these classes of goods have been phased out in most developed countries including the United States of America and the European Union, as they constitute serious hazards to both human and the environment."

Although, many senators opposed the motion entitled, "Measures to protect Nigerian Consumers and to safeguard the environment by controlling the importation, distribution, dismantling and disposal of obsolete electronic devices and harmful electronic waste," due to their peripheral understanding of the issue, the Senate amended the prayers and passed it.

Those who opposed the motion had argued that it was seeking to impose blanket ban on second hand or fairly used products whereas it was seeking to regulate their influx into the country.