GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- US EPA Chief Administrator Lisa Jackson declared yesterday that preventing e-waste and its irresponsible management was one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s top six newly announced global priorities.

The other five priorities were reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality, improving water quality, reducing toxics exposures and building stronger institutional frameworks.

Her comments came at yesterday evening’s public reception to launch the 17th Session of the Commission on Environmental Cooperation, a body created under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“We applaud the EPA and Lisa Jackson on her recognition that the toxic threat of e-waste is one of the most serious environmental concerns of our time,” said Jim Puckett, executive director of the Basel Action Network, who attended the session. “The amounts of e-waste is staggering, and then the practice of sweeping the techno-trash out the back door to developing countries is shameful.”

According to BAN, the first order of business is to pass legislation banning the export of this new form of toxic waste. The environmentalists also called for all manufacturers to set a date for becoming toxic-free and refusing to ever again use toxic inputs.