Sydney, Sep 13 (IANS): Millions of tonnes of toxic e-waste - comprising discarded computers, refrigerators, mobile phones, TV sets and printers - are contaminating our air, oceans, fresh water, soil and food every year. It is becoming the fastest growing waste source in the world, new research shows.

"In 2009 alone, 53 million tonnes of e-waste was generated worldwide. It's the fastest growing waste source in the world," warns a leading environmental researcher Ming Hung Wong, from Hong Kong Baptist University.

The recycling process in many developing regions is still primitive, with few or no facilities or trained professionals to ensure safe disposal of toxic products, he says.

"It's no longer a problem that is confined to the villages that deal with e-waste, because when water and soil is polluted, everyone is vulnerable to the food products that are exported from these regions," adds Wong.

"What is more important is that these chemicals are transferred to the next generation through pregnant mothers - placenta transfer - and lactating mothers through breast feeding," he says, according to a CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC-CARE) statement.

Using China as an example, Wong said that it used to be a popular dumping site for e-waste, with 70 percent of the world's e-waste being sent there.

Piles of wire with plastic casings are often burned to recover the metal, and circuit boards are slowly grilled over coal to release valuable chips, says Wong.

"The slow burning of these products releases large quantities of hazardous chemicals to the surroundings, while the ashes are often contaminated with lead and other metals," he says.

"These persistent pollutants end up everywhere - the air, the ocean, or leak into soil and groundwater," Wong adds.

These findings were presented at the CleanUp 2011 Conference in Adelaide.