It is estimated by the EPA that by the year 2007 there may be as many as 500 million surplus computers/monitors in the United States alone. The electronics waste (e-waste) stream is the fastest growing environmental problem in the country. Computers and monitors contain hazardous toxic materials, which are harmful to humans, animals, and the environment. Computers contain a number of toxic materials including Chromium, Zinc, Lead and Tin. "Electronic equipment is one of the largest known sources of heavy metals, toxic materials, and organic pollutants in municipal trash waste," said Leslie Byster, a spokeswoman for Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, a nonprofit group in California that studies computer industry waste. "The only household item I can think of that is worse," he said, "would be pesticides." An estimated 30 million computers are thrown out, organic pollutants and all, in the United States every year. Of those, only about 14 percent are recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. "They aren't dangerous when they're intact," said Byster. "But when computers get thrown into a landfill, they will get crushed, and toxins find their way into the water table. That really causes problems." Did you know that 20 million computers became obsolete in 1998? As technology changes businesses often have to update their computers every three to five years, making computer waste in landfills a serious problem.