GREEN CABLES

There are so many ways to green your life. Just because you're into tech doesn't mean you can't make environmentally-sound choices. One way to go green is to use green cables in your home theater, gaming devices, and PCs; that is cables that aren't made of nasty, harmful toxins. Green cables will keep hazardous substances out of your home, and once disposed of, won't seep these hazardous materials into our landfills once you've moved beyond their functionality (we'll save the need to recycle, not dispose of, electronics for another article). And better yet, finding green cabling that is friendly to the environment doesn't mean having to sacrifice quality and performance.



Green cables are manufactured without the use of harmful materials such as PVC, phthalates, lead, or halogen. Why should you be concerned about these substances being present in your home?

Let's start with PVC (polyvinyl chloride). When cables made with PVC catch on fire they will produce a black dense smoke formation which contains hydrochloric acid; this smoke causes toxins to be released in the air and also minimizes visibility. PVC used in cable is also considered toxic to animals and human beings since PVC contains phthalates. Phthalates have been correlated with certain forms of cancer as well as asthma.

According to the international environmental advocacy group Greenpeace, "the use of PVC-free electrical cables is growing, particularly in the transportation sector, where safety is critical. Many underground railway systems in the USA and Europe use PVC free cables (also known as low-smoke, zero-halogen or LSOH cables); Vienna, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Bilbao and London all avoid PVC cables underground. Similarly, Eurotunnel, Deutche Bahn, P & O Cruises and the US Navy all specify PVC free cables."

Cables made with PVC-alternatives have better properties than PVC in the event of a fire; they generate less smoke, do not release hydrochloric acid or dioxins and have fire-resistant qualities which match or outstrip PVC. So if you want to make the best choices for your home, avoid cabling made with PVCs.

Halogens are another class of harmful substances often used in cables. A group of highly reactive elements, halogens include fluorine, bromine chlorine, iodine, and astatine. When burned, products that contain halogens emit very noxious gasses. Electrical cable manufacturers have already developed and marketed several halogen-free alternatives to PVC cable as a result of concern over PVC combustion emissions. When a cable is designated halogen-free, it cannot contain PVC or any other organo-chlorine based chemicals.

Green cables, such as those made with zero-free halogens, are up to five times less toxic than those cables produced with halogen in them. Soon to become an international standard, many governmental agencies encourage and support the creation, production, and sale of halogen free, green cables. For example, the European-borne RoHS Directive bans the sale of new electrical and electronic equipment containing more than approved levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants.



So far we've talked about the problems with the use of cables containing harmful substances in our homes, but the problems of electronic waste (e-waste) in the world's landfills looms as large.

E-waste now comprises five percent of all municipal solid waste worldwide. That's about the same percentage as all plastic packaging, but e-waste is much more hazardous, as outlined in this video.



Many consumer electronics manufacturers lag behind safety-focused industries such as the transportation industry, but are now beginning to eliminate the use of PVC materials in their products. Apple Computer recently announced a new line of its notebook computers that are made without PVC in their interior cables. But they haven't addressed the use of PVC in their power supplies yet.

Luckily, there's a new breed of consumer electronics companies coming out of the gate with products made from toxic-free substances. One such company is Torrent. Their HDMI cables and component video cables meet the RoHS standards and are free of PVC, phalate, lead and halogen.

It is possible to set up a PC, gaming device or home theater system AND be friendly to the environment all at once. Environmentally-friendly cables are available today so there's no reason not to make the right choice.