SAN FRANCISCO Aug 17, 2005 — Toxic waste from computers, TVs and other electronic devices discarded in the United States and dismantled in China and India is an even more severe problem than previously feared, according to environmental groups that seek better recycling programs.

Researchers from Greenpeace International said in a report Wednesday that they detected high levels of toxic metals in more than 70 samples collected in March from industrial waste, river sediment, soil and ground water around the southern Chinese city of Guiyu and the suburbs of New Delhi. Dust from electronics-dismantling workshops contained the highest levels of contaminants.

"The extent of the contamination is even worse than we had feared. The levels analyzed are really scary and very concerning," said Ted Smith, founder of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition and chair of the Computer TakeBack Campaign, which wants a ban on the export of electronic waste to developing countries where worker protections and environmental standards are weak.

A report three years ago by Smith's group and the Basel Action Network described the problem of exporting electronic waste and tested a small number of samples for lead contamination. But Smith said the new study analyzed a larger number of samples for a wide range of toxic chemicals.

Public health advocates said the report demonstrated the need to conduct larger studies of the impact of electronics recycling on the environment and human health.

Rick Goss, director of environmental affairs at the Arlington, Va.-based Electronic Industries Alliance, said U.S. producers "do not participate or condone the sending of used electronics to facilities or countries that can't manage them."

"What's going on in China and India shouldn't be happening," Goss said. He blamed secondary dealers, not electronics manufacturers, who collect the devices and ship them abroad. "We support the safe and appropriate recycling of used electronic products."