WASHINGTON — Environmentalists fear that the switch to digital television broadcasting could cause a flood of old televisions, and the toxins they contain, to be tossed in the trash.

But electronics industry officials say these fears are overblown and that there are plenty of ways for people to continue to use their old TVs or to properly recycle them.

Both sides agree that the issue of electronic waste is likely to get more attention as the switchover — on Thursday in Hawai'i and on Feb. 17 on the Mainland — approaches and that federal legislation is needed to deal with the growing problem, of which televisions are just a small part.

"There is a tsunami of e-waste that is going to be created," said Barbara Kyle, national coordinator of the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, which includes environmental groups. "This is the largest government-sponsored planned obsolescence event in history."

Kyle said tube televisions are a particular problem because they contain between 4 to 8 pounds of lead, which is difficult to extract because much of it is in glass.

Besides lead, federal health officials warn that televisions also contain cadmium, beryllium and other dangerous substances. Exposure to high levels of lead can damage the nervous system and other organs.

Americans accumulated an estimated 99.1 million out-of-service TVs in 2007, according to a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The same study estimated 6.3 million televisions were collected for recycling in 2007 out of 26.9 million ready to be disposed of. Less than 20 percent of electronic devices disposed of in 2007 were recycled.

A Consumer Electronics Association consumer survey done in early 2008 offered a somewhat rosier view, with people saying they planned to recycle 25 percent of the 43.5 million televisions they expected to remove from their homes last year.

Concerns about how to dispose of televisions have prompted three manufacturers to create their own recycling programs in recent years: Samsung, LG, and Sony. Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba formed a company to help consumers recycle their products.

Manufacturers also were driven to act by a flood of state laws — 17 now — that require recycling — not dumping — of electronic products.

Parker Brugge, vice president of environmental affairs for the electronics association, said a bipartisan electronic waste working group made up of U.S. House members has been meeting for several years and he hopes legislation will be introduced this year. Kyle doesn't think legislation will pass soon and expects Congress will wait to see which of the state laws works best.

Reports about the export of old televisions and other electronic waste to foreign countries where crude recycling methods expose people to harmful chemicals also may attract the interest of Congress.

Kyle advises people to hold on to their old TVs until laws and government oversight catch up enough to ensure recyclers aren't going to ship your TV overseas.

Brugge advises people to find out whether they are in a state with electronics recycling law and program, and to look for recyclers on the group's Web site www.mygreenelectronics.com.

OBAMA URGES DELAY

President-elect Barack Obama's transition team yesterday asked key members of Congress to consider delaying the switch, saying there is "insufficient support" for the problems consumers will experience.

In a letter to Capitol Hill, the transition team said congressional action is needed. The action would be the "first step" toward helping consumers get ready for the transition to digital television. It also said the money provided to support the conversion is "woefully inadequate."

This week, federal officials said the program to distribute $40 coupons to consumers to help defray the cost of converter boxes has run out of money, so consumers who need the coupons may not receive them in time.

"With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively-mandated analog cutoff date," John Podesta, co-chair of the transition team, wrote in the letter.